There are no new negotiations either for Prespa or with Bulgaria for the EU. Those agreements have already been made, there is no renegotiation for progress towards the EU, says US Ambassador Angela Ageler.

Ageler, in an interview with Radio Free Europe, says that citizens should demand transparency and dealing with corruption from the new government, stressing that there is always a risk of corrosive capital entering and that the government should answer all questions.

To be very clear, the Prespa Agreement was absolutely historic for the country. I know it was extremely difficult for many people in the country to accept the name change. But it was an international agreement, with which the then government and many in the international community agreed. We were certainly part of that process and we applauded. It is something that helped North Macedonia, now to enter NATO, and it got many opportunities to advance in the European Union. We were very pleased that the new prime minister and his ministers said “Ceverna” in the oath. It is of crucial importance and is a fundamental part of the Agreement. Now we will very carefully monitor how it is respected. But as I already said and we said that by respecting the Prespa Agreement, which is key, and of course there is a way, and the priority for us in Skopje, at the American Embassy and for Washington, is to move on to many of those very important priorities for who should speak this country. I feel there is a certain amount of distraction and point-scoring from who said what and when. But it is important to respect the international agreements, which the prime minister said he would do, and to move forward and have the very important talks, said Ageler.

Asked what Macedonian citizens should expect and what the priorities should be, Ageler says that they followed the country during the campaign period and the elections, which were fair and democratic.

Democracy is a very fragile thing and we followed the country during the campaign period and the elections which were a challenge for both the citizens and the candidates in this country. The results, however, were very definitive. The elections were fair and democratic, no matter which party and whom the citizens supported. To see this democratic process progressing is positive for the people of this country. They have made it very clear to management that they want to see change. The new Government clearly stated during their campaign that they consider these changes to be necessary. And now it is the responsibility, I think, of every citizen in this country and of all of us to keep them at their word, to see if the activities coincide with the statements made during the campaign. They talked about dealing with corruption, they talked about economic growth, they talked about energy and infrastructure, about the importance of education and health for every citizen of this country. And we will follow carefully, I know that all of you will also follow how these promises will turn into actions and results for the citizens of North Macedonia, says Ageler.

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