North Macedonia

Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev expressed concern over the recent actions and rhetoric of politicians in North Macedonia, emphasizing the need to move beyond the election campaign phase. He cautioned against the potential consequences of such behavior, warning that it could lead to the country's isolation and distance from the European Union.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has once again cautioned North Macedonia that violating the Prespa Agreement, which resolved the longstanding name dispute between the two neighbors, will jeopardize the Balkan country's ambitions for EU membership. 

The rift between Athens and Skopje is deepening, with North Macedonian Prime Minister-elect Hristijan Mickoski stating he will refrain from verbally using the country's constitutional name - i.e without the affixed geographical designation of North - in violation of the Prespa Agreement.

The Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has dismissed the prospect of the Greek parliament ratifying the three memoranda associated with the Prespa Agreement with Skopje, as reported by Sky TV.

The Greek government will not submit for ratification the three cooperation memorandums signed with North Macedonia over issues such as its EU accession process until Skopje fully complies with the Prespa Agreement signed in 2018, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday. 

We often like to play the role of the victim and the downtrodden. We see it now around us as the mentality of "poor Greece is a punching bag" is being formed, just because Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama spoke at a gathering of ethnic Albanians in Athens last Sunday and the new president of North Macedonia referred to her country only as "Macedonia" rather than by its constitutional name.

The government will table memorandums of cooperation with North Macedonia in Parliament for ratification only when it is "convinced of the neighboring country's full compliance with its international commitments," Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis has said.

The signs bode ill right from the get-go in North Macedonia, after the Balkan country's newly elected president kicked off her tenure with an unnecessary swipe at Greece, causing ripples on what were otherwise calm waters in bilateral relations between the two neighbors.

Greece threatened to hinder North Macedonia's bid to join the EU on Monday after newly elected president Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova called her country just "Macedonia" during a speech, reviving a long-running dispute over the name.

A spokesperson for the US State Department reiterated the nation's commitment to the Prespa Agreement and North Macedonia's accession into Euro-Atlantic institutions amidst the backdrop of the recent North Macedonian elections.