Atanasovski: The new government of North Macedonia will have excellent relations with both Serbia and Kosovo

Macedonian analyst Blagojce Atanasovski says that the ethnic Macedonian part led by VMRO-DPMNE and their coalition partner Ivan Stoilkovic will have excellent relations with Belgrade, while the coalition of ethnic Albanians, VLEN, will have excellent relations with Pristina.

"As for official Belgrade, I think this government will have positive relations. I see the reactions of the Serbian president and the Serbian political elite; they are simply pleased that this ruling party is coming to us. Regarding Pristina, I believe that, conditionally speaking, the ethnic coalition partner VLEN will be the one to foster good political and diplomatic relations with official Pristina, as they do not hide that, in a way, Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti has been a kind of patron of the creation of the multi-party coalition VLEN or VREDI, and this will conditionally be a two-way street. The ethnic Macedonian part led by VMRO-DPMNE and their coalition partner Ivan Stoilkovic will have excellent relations with Belgrade, and the coalition of ethnic Albanians, VLEN, will have excellent relations with Pristina," Atanasovski told Kosovo Online.

When asked whether the new mandate holder and the new government in North Macedonia will make a shift in regional relations, Atanasovski says that, regarding the respect for the Prespa Agreement, there are some dissonant tones and that a geopolitical shift could occur, as it is tied to the country's European integration.

"The same applies to relations with the eastern neighbor if the direction of the negotiation framework, namely the French proposal, is respected. The previous government said that the French proposal was the best solution for continuing Macedonia's European path and absolutely respected the Prespa Agreement, but we will see how relations develop in the future. For now, we see that there are different interpretations, especially in the so-called French proposal, which the new prime minister rejects, indicating that it is a Bulgarian dictate, and there are many unclear interpretations regarding the respect for the Prespa Agreement and what it means, which has led to reactions from Greece and the Greek government," he adds.

The Assembly of North Macedonia elected a new government last night, which will be led by Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, who took the oath using the name Republic of North Macedonia, noting that he considers the adjective "North" shameful but has to use it due to laws and the Constitution.

The new government was voted in with 77 deputies in favor and 22 against.