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The European Union (EU) has expressed regret that North Macedonia's new president, Gordana Silanovska-Davkova, did not use the country's constitutional name when she was sworn in as president in a parliamentary ceremony on Sunday.
"The EU reiterates the importance of fully respecting existing and legally binding agreements, including the Prespa agreement with Greece," EU security and foreign policy spokeswoman Nabila Massrali said in a statement on Sunday. .
During the swearing-in ceremony as the country's president in Parliament earlier on Sunday, Davkova said that "I will defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of the Republic of Macedonia" while avoiding the country's constitutional name, North Macedonia.
The ambassador of Greece in Skopje, Sofia Filipidou, left the swearing-in ceremony of the president in protest because Davkova mentioned the old name "Republic of Macedonia" during the process.
In 2018, an agreement was reached in Prespa with Greece to change the name from Macedonia to North Macedonia, ending years of disputes and paving the way for the country's efforts to integrate into the EU and NATO.
Davkoka became North Macedonia's first female president since the country's independence in the 1990s, after winning the presidential election on May 8.
She defeated the incumbent, Stevo Pendarovski, by winning twice as many votes as he did in Wednesday's runoff.
However, Davkova, in her speech, did not talk about issues related to the country's European integration process, which depends on constitutional changes based on an agreement with Bulgaria, but said that she will work for "the Europeanization of the country together with other Balkan countries".
Davkova does not support changing the Constitution, but in an interview with Radio Free Europe recently, she said that if Parliament approves the constitutional amendments - which would allow Bulgarians and five other ethnic minorities to become part of the Macedonian Constitution - she would respect them.
She promised during the speech that her presidential cabinet will reflect the ethnic composition of the country, "where there will be room for Macedonians, Albanians and representatives of other entities, while their selection will be based on professional and non-partisan criteria".
Earlier in the day, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, as well as the president of the EU Council, Charles Michel, congratulated Davkova for taking office as the president of North Macedonia officially. stressing that her country must continue the reforms required on Skopje's path towards integration into the European Union./ REL
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