North Macedonia's new president reignites a spat with Greece at her inauguration ceremony
Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova has been sworn as the first female president of North Macedonia and has immediately reignited a diplomatic spat with neighboring Greece
SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova was sworn as the first female president of North Macedonia on Sunday and immediately reignited a diplomatic spat with neighboring Greece.
At the ceremony in the country’s Parliament, Siljanovska-Davkova referred to her country as “Macedonia,” rather than the constitutional name “North Macedonia”
This prompted Greece’s Ambassador to Skopje, Sophia Philippidou, to leave the inauguration ceremony. The Greek Foreign Ministry later issued a statement saying that the new president's actions violated an agreement between the two nations and put in danger both bilateral relations and North Macedonia's prospects of joining the European Union.
The use of the name “Macedonia” provokes a strong Greek reaction, with Greece accusing its northern neighbor of appropriating a Greek name and the history of the Ancient Greek Kingdom of Macedonia, which existed centuries before Slavic people, such as the contemporary ethnic Macedonians, arrived in the area.
