Washington, 22 May 2024 (MIA) - We expect North Macedonia to continue on the European path, said the United States Deputy Assistant Secretary and Special Representative for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, in an online interview with the Atlantic Council's Europe Center.

During the discussion on the role of the US amidst challenges in the Western Balkans, Escobar was asked whether, following the victory of VMRO-DPMNE and increased concerns about the Prespa Agreement, he still believes that the path to Europe will continue, as he stated on Election Day, reports Voice of America in Macedonian.

“Yes. I think both Europe and the US made it very clear after the President's inauguration that we fully expect North Macedonia to continue on its European path, to commit, to continue to be a committed member of NATO, and believe me, they are a committed NATO member. And we received assurances from all levels of the party leadership of the main party (VMRO-DPMNE) that won the elections, that they will remain committed to the European path,” Escobar said.

“There is an increasing realism that there is no other alternative. So, I think we will see, and I hope to see, that path continue as the main policy objective of the new government,” he noted.

Greece has threatened to link the country's progress towards the EU to the full implementation of the Prespa Agreement and primarily to the use of the country's constitutional name, after President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova referred to the country as Macedonia, not North Macedonia, during her presidential inauguration.

The cabinet of Siljanovska-Davkova immediately following the inauguration announced that the president will adhere to the official use of the constitutional name, “but in her public appearances, she has the right to use Macedonia as an act of personal right to self-determination and self-identification, respecting fundamental human rights and freedoms and in accordance with European values and principles.”

For official Athens, Siljanovska's move is considered a violation of the Prespa Agreement.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, on the other hand, threatened that Greece will not ratify the memoranda arising from the Prespa Agreement if it is not respected by the new government.

The State Department, in response to Voice of America's question in Macedonian about whether the US will call on Greece to ratify the memoranda, as they called on North Macedonia to respect the agreement, stated that "the United States remains firmly committed to the Prespa Agreement and to North Macedonia's Euro-Atlantic integration."

The State Department’s press office added that as a new government is formed and a prime minister is elected, the United States will continue to emphasize the importance of respecting “international agreements and the benefits of full membership in the European Union.”

Photo: MIA archive