Rangelovic: The new government and the president of North Macedonia will try to smooth relations with Serbia

Political scientist Ivo Rangelovic emphasized that the newly elected president of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, could have opposed the government's decision regarding the Srebrenica Resolution, instead of claiming she was not consulted for the voting in the UN General Assembly, adding that it is very likely that the new leaders of official Skopje will try to "smooth out" relations with Serbia.

"It is very likely that this will happen, and it should happen, because as the saying goes, we do not choose our neighbors, we will always be there for each other. So, I think that at the very least, an official visit should be made in which these actions of the Macedonian government could be mitigated through certain communications, because the excuse that the president and the former president were not informed is not an argument that could improve relations," Rangelovic told Kosovo Online.

He highlighted that Serbia and North Macedonia traditionally maintain good relations and that it would be beneficial for both sides to reduce tensions and return to the state before the UN General Assembly.

"Macedonia and Serbia traditionally have excellent relations, and they should be nurtured in every way. I think that not only the president but also the new government, namely the prime minister, should make an official visit to discuss this topic and explain the multiethnic configuration of the state, the context in which we live and find ourselves, as well as the overall policy of the state aimed at reducing tensions. This is not a move that is necessary only towards Serbia, but also towards ourselves, because in Macedonia a large number of ethnic groups coexist, and when we were no longer restrained about the declaration, we should have a more serious explanation for the public and Serbia, not to mention whether we are informed or not," stated Rangelovic.

Asked whether yesterday's message from the new President Davkova that she was not consulted regarding the voting at the United Nations was more a message to Albanian politicians and the former government or to Serbia, Rangelovic says he perceived it as "distancing from the entire situation."

"I perceive it as a kind of distancing from the entire situation, and that's why I think that it's possible for the president to emerge from this complex situation with an official visit, where this topic will be discussed. If you disagree with the government's decision or were not informed, there is a methodology where you can get information, express dissatisfaction, and possibly change the decision. You must not allow yourself, as president, which is the hierarchically most important position in the country, to let someone below you or the foreign minister make an arbitrary decision without consultations with the public or the main political actors in the country," concluded Rangelovic.