Greece has accused North Macedonia of violating an agreement on the country’s name and warned this could block Skopje’s EU membership path.

On June 23, North Macedonia elected Hristijan Mickoski as prime minister. He said he would use the old name, Macedonia, internally, claiming the new name, North Macedonia, is "shameful". The country was renamed North Macedonia with the signing of the Prespa Agreement in 2018.

However, Mickoski also said he will use the new name internationally in order to respect the constitution. He said previously that securing EU membership would be the primary focus of the government agenda.

The country's new President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova also omitted the word "North" from her official oath in parliament on taking office earlier this year. 

“The state and the political leadership of North Macedonia have chosen, systematically and persistently, not to use the country's constitutional name in domestic public discourse. This constitutes a flagrant violation of the Prespa Agreement, which stipulates the uniform use of the unique name "North Macedonia" domestically and internationally,” Greece’s Foreign Affairs Minister George Gerapetritis said in a statement on June 24.

He added that compliance with international law and international treaties forms the foundation of global peace and security and that their selective application is unacceptable.

[A]ccession to the European Union without full incorporation of the European acquis and full and unconditional compliance with International Law and international treaties, including the Prespa Agreement, is unthinkable and unacceptable,” Gerapetritis noted.

The 2018 agreement with Greece put an end to the decades-long dispute between the two countries, paving the way for Skopje to get closer to starting EU membership talks.

The agreement also allowed North Macedonia to become a member of Nato.