site.btaPresident Siljanovska: Skopje Fulfills Prespa Agreement, Treaty with Bulgaria Does not Say We Have to Change Constitution

The Republic of North Macedonia has taken a responsible approach to the implementation of the Prespa Agreement and has fulfilled its obligations ahead of schedule, the country's President Gordana Siljanovska said in her first interview after she was elected to the post and took the oath in office refusing to pronounce the country's constitutional name, sparking tensions with Greece. 

Siljanovska said that the country's name was not changed in the text of the presidential oath in the electoral law and although the Constitution has it as "The Republic of North Macedonia", the law uses "Republic of Macedonia". Siljanovska argued that she did not violate the Prespa Agreement as she took the oath. Also, she said she did not want to annoy anyone, but behaved in a "Socratic manner", and did not notice that the Greek Ambassador had left the hall during the swearing-in, as she was busy with the event and did not think about who was in the hall.

In her interview with TV Channel 5, Silyanovska said that "Greece or the EU should advise Bulgaria" since the Prespa Treaty states that history, culture, heritage and language are not negotiable. 

"These days I hear that both agreements must be respected. I am not violating the Prespa Agreement. It says that we have to change the (identity) documents after the opening of the negotiating chapters. The EU decides when the negotiating chapters open. Did someone say that? Greece should have said it. Not only did we not open the negotiating chapters (after the Prespa Agreement was signed), but now we have to change the Constitution to start negotiations. There is not a single article in the (Good-neighbourliness) Treaty with Bulgaria that says we have to change the Constitution. I said to Macron that his philosophical ideas about the EU are exceptional, but philosophy cannot do without principles and values. The EU has provided for sanctions if a Member State violates the fundamental values and principles. Without fundamental values there is no EU as a philosophy of democracy," Silyanowska said.

Asked whether in the next five years she will pronounce the name "North Macedonia", President Siljanoska said, "Why should I repeat it? Do my Greek colleagues say 'the Hellenic Republic' all the time? No. I respect the treaties. It is not true that we are breaking them, but someone else is breaking them. I think that we have been very responsible with the Prespa Agreement, we have fulfilled our obligations even before the deadlines, but I am not sure that Greece did. There you will see (signs that say) 'Skopje', 'FYROM', but not North Macedonia'.

Siljanovska said that the meetings she has held with the ambassadors of the countries accredited to the Republic of North Macedonia, which she started after her election on 8 May and will conclude next week, are "mainly protocol meetings", that she has so far appointed only one adviser - on foreign policy, although she is legally entitled to five - and that she will soon fill the three seats from the presidential quota on the Security Council, who will be experts "on global issues, on climate change and on European integration".