The spokesperson of the European Commission (EC) in a statement for Euractiv says that the Prespa Agreement between Greece and Macedonia from 2018 must be implemented by “all parties” and with “good faith” in the conditions of a new sharpened rhetoric between Athens and Skopje that are threatens to revive the 25-year-old dispute.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Giorgos Gerapetritis, speaking on Greek radio, stated that the Prespa Agreement is an internationally ratified agreement and cannot be changed or revised unilaterally.
The Brussels portal reminds that the “new diplomatic crisis” between the two countries erupted after the new president of Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, who comes from the “nationalist party VMRO-DPMNE”, during her inauguration on May 12 called the country Macedonia instead of North Macedonia, the official constitutional name following the name change agreement with Greece in 2018, otherwise known as the Prespa Agreement.

The “incident”, as noted by Euractiv, caused reactions across Europe and the United States, with many fearing a revival of the dispute, which is considered an open wound for the Balkan region.

The European Commission says that “all parties” should stick to the agreement.

“Good neighborly relations and regional cooperation remain essential for the enlargement process. The existing bilateral agreements should be implemented in good faith by all parties, including the Prespa Agreement between Macedonia and Greece,” said the spokesperson of the European Commission for Euractiv.