The Prespa Agreement is a true example of the power of diplomacy and dialogue and a model for dispute resolution. Although disputes differ, dialogue and diplomacy remain the best approach for resolution, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said in a Facebook post on Thursday, on the third anniversary of the signing of the Prespa Agreement.
“On June 17, 2018, the Prespa Agreement was signed in one of the most beautiful places in Europe, on the Prespa Lake tripoint. It resolved our three-decade long dispute with Greece, which had negative bilateral, regional and multilateral implications and was considered a difficult and irreconcilable issue,” read Zaev’s post.
The signing of the agreement, he stressed, was preceded by building a bilateral friendship, which was equally important as the solution we were striving to achieve.
“Former PM Tsipras and I said that we won’t place red lines in the process. That’s what friends focused on finding a solution and compromise do. We found a solution when everyone said it was impossible. We ended the dispute and decades-long differences that had built a wall which was making friendly relations between neighbors difficult. Myself and Prime Minister Tsipras, Foreign Ministers Kotzias and Dimitrov, and members of our governments, were determined to find a dignified and mutually acceptable solution, with the support of the United Nations, the European Union and our mutual strategic friends,” the PM underlined.
To date, he added, this solution has been nothing but beneficial.
“The country’s UN ID is finally complete, with Macedonian language and Macedonian/citizen of North Macedonia written in the slots for language and citizenship, right next to the country’s name – North Macedonia. Our relations with Greece are excellent and we have contributed to strengthening regional stability and promoting development in the Western Balkans,” Zaev wrote.
According to him, the Prespa Agreement, along with the Friendship Treaty with Bulgaria, accelerated North Macedonia’s NATO integration and removed the biggest obstacles for the country’s EU integration.
The Republic of North Macedonia, he added, became the 30th NATO member and on June 14, 2021, wrote another chapter of its modern history – taking part, shoulder to shoulder with fellow allies, in creating the Alliance’s strategies for the upcoming decade, NATO 2030.
“The world and the international community praised the Prespa Agreement as a true example of the power of diplomacy and dialogue and a model for dispute resolution. Although disputes differ, dialogue and diplomacy remain the best approach for resolution,” Zaev said, adding that the Prespa Agreement continues to remind leaders that they owe it to their citizens to solve disputes, sustain peace and create conditions for development and better life for all.
