US President says Skopje - Athens name deal should inspire other regional states (N1, Beta)
Donald Trump, the US President, told Zoran Zaev, North Macedonia's Prime Minister, that his deal with Greece on the country’s new name was the greatest achievement in the Balkans since the 1995 Dayton Agreement which ended the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Beta news agency reported.
In a letter published by Skopje Government, Trump congratulated Zaev on the agreement reached with the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras which, Trump said, secured a stable and prosperous future not only to their countries but to the region as a whole.
Trump praised Zaev’s leadership and his dedication to ending the 27-year-old name dispute which was holding Skopje back from Euro-Atlantic integration, adding that the country “will now take its place in NATO as North Macedonia.”
“The Republic of North Macedonia is an important US partner. We are glad to be able to greet you as the 30th ally in the Alliance and to continue joint work on securing peace and prosperity in the Western Balkans,” Trump wrote.
He added he hoped that Skopje – Athens agreement should “serve as an inspiration to other regional countries.”
Trump did not specifically mention what countries he had in mind, but since he had recently sent letters to both Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic and his Kosovo's counterpart Hashim Thaci, it seemed he referred to the Belgrade - Pristina dialogue on normalisation of relations. In the letters, Trump said he would be happy to greet both leaders in the White House once they agreed on a comprehensive and lasting deal.
Zaev and Tsipras signed the deal last June, and both Skopje and Athens parliaments ratified it despite the nationalist opposition protests in both countries.
North Macedonia is soon to become a NATO member and is expected to open the accession negotiations with the European Union which also praised the agreement, described it as the most important political event in the Balkans in 2018.