The Prespes Agreement gives the right to our northern neighbors to use the MK and MKD code, that stands for…Macedonia. In order to avoid any illusions, see how the neighboring country was referring to the match they gave with Latvia.

One day after the revelation that the Greek government handed over to Skopje the “Macedonian” identity, a new negative consequence of the Prespes Agreement is revealed, justifying those who warned about the problematic points of the agreement of Alexis Tsipras with Zoran Zaev.

In the football match given by the Skopje national football team to the Latvians on Thursday, March 21, at the “Philip II”(!) stadium for the qualifiers of the European football championship, their national team appeared under the name “Macedonia”.

Why were they allowed to play as “Macedonia” and not as “Northern Macedonia”? This is yet another violation of the Prespes Agreement by Greece’s northern neighbours, which shows that the Agreement is not clear and obliges the Greek side at all levels -from the ministry officials to the National Football Association- to constantly run behind the…”Macedonian” counterfeiters asking for the correction of the “mistakes” they make.

Could it be, though, that the Prespes Agreement allows Skopje to use publicly, even in international matches of their football team, the name “Macedonia” plain and simple?

Article 1, paragraph (3), section (e) of the Prespes Agreement grants Greece’s neighbors the right to use the MK and MKD code names in all cases, that is to say, football matches, excluding only the registration plates for cars which must be converted to NM, NMK (North Makedonia). So, the Skopjans, with the Greek government’s permission, can use the code name MK and MKD – that is, Macedonia – as an abbreviation when referring to their country in any sporting event!…

The question to the Prespes Agreement negotiators is simple: Did they know what exactly they were signing? It slipped their attention that the agreement allows Skopje to identify themselves as plain “Macedonians” using the abbreviations MK and MKD and indeed at sports events attended by thousands and viewed by millions of people all over the globe?

Is this a loophole that allows Skopje to swing the name of Macedonia into events and sports events that follow wide masses of people with the obvious consequence of legalizing the usurpation of the use of the term Macedonia? If it is not a deliberate action, is it oversight or omission?