"Republic of Macedonia"

New president reignites name dispute

President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova refuses to pronounce her country's new name.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Robert ATANASOVSKI)

At her inauguration as the country's first female president, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova reignited the name dispute with Greece, torpedoing North Macedonia's EU aspirations. During the ceremony on Sunday, the politician from the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party refused to use the country's new name, which has been in use since an agreement was reached with Greece in 2018. 

"I declare that I will exercise the office of President of Macedonia conscientiously and responsibly, respect the constitution and the laws and protect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Macedonia," Siljanovska-Davkova said verbatim. 

North Macedonia's accession to the EU could have been made more difficult by the result of the parliamentary elections, which also took place on May 8. In the election, the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE also secured a majority in parliament, replacing the ruling Social Democrats SDSM. The victory of the VMRO-DPMNE could now significantly worsen North Macedonia's relations with neighboring Greece and Bulgaria, whose approval is crucial for accession to the EU.

Greek government criticizes "unlawful" process
Sharp criticism came from Athens on Monday. "Any progress in our bilateral relations and every step Skopje takes towards Europe depends on sincere respect for the agreement," emphasized Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Siljanovska-Davkova's disregard of the official text during her swearing-in was an "illegal and unacceptable" act.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis

(Bild: AP)

Bulgaria expects "comprehensive implementation" of the agreements
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev warned that the negotiating framework with North Macedonia approved by the EU Council in 2022 must be adhered to by the leadership in Skopje. The European perspective of the Republic of North Macedonia will fully depend on the "comprehensive implementation" of all agreements, emphasized Bulgarian interim head of government Dimitar Glawchev.

The name dispute broke out in the 1990s when Macedonia became independent following the break-up of Yugoslavia. Greece feared its neighbor's territorial claims to a northern Greek province of the same name. After lengthy negotiations, both sides agreed on a name change to North Macedonia in 2018 with the mediation of the United Nations, which came into force in 2019. The agreement enabled North Macedonia to join NATO, and Greece also gave up its resistance to joining the EU.