During an interview with the Albanian language TV21, VMRO-DPMNE President Hristijan Mickoski said the that Prespa treaty violates the human rights of all Macedonians, and is therefore unacceptable for the largest Macedonian party. Mickoski said that VMRO will administratively take part in the work of the Parilament, despite the use of the “adjective North” in it, but will not be using it in its events.

For me, this country is Macedonia and it will remain Macedonia. They can take away our mandates, but we will continue to use the name Macedonia. We will be honest to the voters, it takes 80 votes in Parliament to change back the Constitution, including the ethnic majority. But we will never use the name with the new adjective. I’m a Macedonian and, as a member of the battalion of the guards, I swore to protect the independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Macedonia. They’re welcome to arrest me if they want to, this is not a regime. Or is it?, Mickoski said in the TV21 interview.

He detailed all the ways, in general and in practice, in which the Prespa treaty erodes the Macedonian national identity, including even in articles not listed in the treaty, such as the Greek demand that the Macedonian army orchestra can’t perform the national anthem during the welcoming ceremony for Prime Minister Tsipras.