Following the angry response from Athens over remarks allegedly made by the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s premier Zoran Zaev, the government in Skopje issued a statement on Tuesday.
Zaev’s remarks, regarding the possibility of the ”Macedonian” language being taught in Greek schools in the future, had allegedly been made as he spoke to lawmakers on Sunday.
The new government statement says that ”as a country which aspires to join the EU, we understand that countries take care of their own citizens, and countries in the Balkans do not interfere in neighboring countries on any given issue”.
The official statement went on to say, “We regret if (Zaev’s) comments were understood in any other way.”
The FYROM communique also notes that ”we are strongly committed to full implementation of the Prespa agreement, and all of our actions and statements are made in good faith to support the agreement.”
The statement also noted that ”language policies in both countries are not determined by the Prespa agreement, and we understand and respect that the question of what languages are taught in Greece is an issue of internal affairs and domestic policy.”
Zaev, answering a question from an MP from the opposition right-wing VMRO party, reportedly said on Sunday that the ”Macedonians” who live in Greece will be able to be taught the ”Madeconian” language in Greek schools, following the ratification of the Prespa agreement.
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