The outgoing Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, pointed out today that the constitutional name of the country is North Macedonia and any use of another name is a violation of the Constitution.

“The Prespa Agreement is clear about the use of the name of the state erga omnes. The constitutional name of the state is the Republic of North Macedonia and any use of another name is outside the Constitution, while it becomes irrelevant in relation to the Prespa Agreement,” Osmani stressed.

In addition, he provides, as he said, “free advice” to the new government (the one that will be formed next week, under the right-wing VMRO).

“You may have been and are against the Prespa Agreement, but it is now a reality and part of our constitutional order and the Constitution and therefore, it must be respected,” he noted.

Buyar Osmani, who comes from the Albanian DUI party, also assessed that “the Prespa Agreement is more than an agreement on the name”, as he said, this “constitutes an agreement of strategic cooperation”.

It is noted that both the new president of North Macedonia, Gordana Silianovska, and the acting prime minister, Christian Mickoski, constantly state that they “respect” the Prespa Agreement, but, as they say, they have the “personal right” to use and call the country “Macedonia”.

VMRO-DPMNE leader Christian Mickoski, whose party prevailed in the country’s parliamentary elections held on May 8, will prefer as his partner in the new government the opposition Albanian coalition called “Deserve” rather than the DUI, which is the largest Albanian party in North Macedonia and for the last 20 years has participated in all coalition governments of the country.

The new government, led by VMRO-DPMNE is expected to receive a vote of confidence from Parliament next week and take office.