North Macedonia-Gordana Siljanovska: “We are behaving very responsibly towards the Prespes Agreement”

The President of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska, claimed that her country has largely fulfilled its obligations arising from the Prespes Agreement, while expressing doubts about whether the same can be said for Greece. “I ask for understanding. We have the Prespes Agreement. We changed our country’s Constitution, we changed our documents both for the outside and the inside, we even changed the manhole covers. However, when there are two sides to the Agreement, the other side must also show a willingness to cooperate.

The rope has two ends and usually two people pull it. I think we have behaved very responsibly towards the Prespes Agreement, we have fulfilled our obligations even before the deadlines, but I am not sure that Greece has done the same. There you will hear them say “Skopjans”, “Skopje”, you will see signs “FYROM”, but not North Macedonia signs. Not to mention the memoranda of cooperation and mainly the memorandum regarding the accession process of our country to the European Union,” said Gordana Siljanovska, in an interview tonight on a Skopje television station.

Asked to comment on her action of calling the country “Macedonia” during her swearing-in ceremony on May 12, which provoked strong reactions from the Greek side, while being condemned by the EU and the USA, Gordana Siljanovska reiterated that under Article 7, paragraph 3 of the Prespes Agreement, she has the right to use the term “Macedonia” and claimed, once again, that she is not violating the Prespes Agreement.

“The name is the greatest sign of identity and that comes from within me. I know what is right, but when the national anthem is sung, people cry, they put their hand over their heart. Something similar happens with the name. I don’t understand how some people don’t realize that with some things you can’t be so rational, there is some unspoken connection between the heart and the mind. I don’t want to annoy anyone, but for me it’s part of my habit (habitus). For 60 years it was always the Republic of Macedonia. That’s what it’s about, without wanting to be malicious,” added the President of North Macedonia.

Asked if for the next five years (the duration of her term as President of the Republic) she will stick to her position and not utter the constitutional name of the country, which is North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska replied:

“You all know that I am the President of this country, which according to its Constitution is called that. Why do I have to repeat it? Do our Greek colleagues constantly say Hellenic Republic or Greece? No. […]. I respect agreements. It’s not true that we’re violating them. Someone else is violating them.”