The assurance that the US is working to ensure that the new government of North Macedonia respects the Prespa Agreement was underlined by Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O’Brien.
During a hearing in the Senate International Relations Committee, the US diplomat argued that the contact of US lawmakers is useful in order for North Macedonia to remain committed to the agreement.
“North Macedonia has suffered because of disagreements with its neighbours, which keeps changing the (membership) requirements for them. Part of our work is to diplomatically pave a way for (North Macedonia) to maintain the agreement it has with Greece. And I think that the meeting that you had and others have helped to keep things at this point, so that Greece becomes a friend and not an obstacle to North Macedonia’s membership path. The same for Albania,” he said.
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova have stated that they will officially use the constitutional name, but that they will use the name “Macedonia” in statements as an act deriving from the right of self-identification.
On his part, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made it clear from the NATO Summit in Washington that one of the most important aspects of the Prespa Agreement is the erga omnes use of the constitutional name. This obliges the government to use North Macedonia both abroad and at home.
US Ambassador to Skopje Angela Ageler has also stated that there is no room for renegotiating the agreements with Greece and Bulgaria. As she noted, “these agreements were made. No renegotiation of Prespa, no renegotiation of progress towards the EU. This is very clear.”
