site.btaUS Ambassador in Skopje: North Macedonia's Treaties with Greece and Bulgaria Related to EU Progress Not to Be Renegotiated

North Macedonia's treaties with Greece and the country's progress towards the EU will not be renegotiated, the US ambassador in Skopje, Angela Aggeler, said in an interview with Radio Free Europe.

According to Aggeler, the Prespa Treaty is international, and historic for the country, and the US was part of the process and applauded it. 

"This is something that has helped North Macedonia to join NATO and to get many opportunities for progress in the European Union. We were very pleased that the new prime minister [Hristijan Mickoski] and his ministers said "North" in the oath [they took after the election of the new government]. This is key and is an essential part of the Prespa Treaty. We will now monitor very carefully how it is respected. I see there is a certain amount of distraction and point scoring [political] from who said what and when. But it's important to respect international agreements, which the prime minister said he would do in order to move forward and have the important talks," Aggeler noted in the interview.

The US ambassador to Skopje said that during the NATO meeting in Washington, where Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski will lead the North Macedonian delegation, she would like "the conversation to be about Ukraine, to be about enlargement, development and strengthening of NATO", which is important for peace in Europe. 

Asked if the US is encouraging a new dialogue between Bulgaria and North Macedonia, Aggeler replied that "the agreements have already been made." 

"No renegotiation of the Prespa Treaty, no renegotiation of progress with regard to the EU. This is very clear. There is a difference between what was said during the campaigns, what has been said over the years and what lies ahead in order to move forward. And we very much hope that progress has been made, that these old usages or terminologies can be put aside and that the neighbours, whoever they are, starting with North Macedonia, will be able to have important talks that will be beneficial for all involved. We hope to see that," Aggeler said, adding that North Macedonia's citizens should demand transparency and an end to corruption from the new government. 

"Election results were very clear. The citizens have clearly said that they want to see change. The new government made it clear during its campaign that it considers these changes necessary. And it is now the responsibility, of every citizen of this country and of all of us to hold to what they said, to see if what is done matches the statements made during the campaign. They talked about tackling corruption, they talked about economic growth, they talked about energy and infrastructure, they talked about the importance of education and healthcare to every citizen of this country. And we will be watching closely, I know you all will be watching closely too, to see how these promises translate into action and results for the citizens of North Macedonia," Aggeler said.