SkopjeDiem Macedonia in English
“The uniqueness of the Macedonian language is universally recognized and confirmed in the United Nations,” says former mediator in the name dispute, Matthew Nimetz. He, in an interview with Kanal 5, when asked about the Sofia-Skopje relations, and whether the identity and language were part of the Prespa Agreement, but was put on the table by Bulgaria, clarified that for the Greek side the problem was not the identity but the name of the language, and in this case, it is a matter of different dispute. “The dispute with Greece was not about the language at all, but about the name of the language. In other words, the Greek side had no problem in the county having its own, special language. But their problem was that if it was called the Macedonian language, it could give the impression that it had a connection with the ancient Macedonians. The dispute with Bulgaria is different in terms of the origin of the languages. I am not an expert on that, it was not an issue in the Prespa Agreement, but it is an issue they want to discuss, so it is a matter of discussion,” Nimetz said.
