The prime minister of North Macedonia must respect the Prespa Agreement in all contexts, including international sporting events, government spokesperson Aristotelia Peloni has said.
Peloni was commenting on a tweet by Zoran Zaev in which the North Macedonia premier referred to his county’s national football team, which is participating in the European Championship 2020, as “Macedonia”.
“We demand the full implementation of the Prespa Agreement and its spirit and we call on Mr Zaev to refrain from the divisive rhetoric, especially in such a sensitive issue such as football,” Peloni said.
“In any case, the good-faith implementation of the agreement is one of the criteria for the country’s accession to the European Union,” she noted.
Attending Monday’s game between North Macedonia and the Netherlands, Zaev tweeted: “Today, from the stadium in Amsterdam, I offer my strong support to the Macedonian national football team.”
