North Macedonia’s new president seeks to sidestep disputes with EU neighbors

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — European Union candidate North Macedonia is seeking to calm disputes with EU neighbors Greece and Bulgaria that flared following the landslide election victory of a conservative-backed coalition and president. North Macedonia changed its name from Macedonia after a 2018 landmark agreement with Greece that ended a yearslong quarrel over the former Yugoslav republic’s name. At a swearing-in ceremony Sunday, President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova referred to her country as “Macedonia,” prompting a heated response from Athens and criticism from the European Union. Siljanovska-Davkova’s office said she would respect the country’s international obligations but added that she retains “the right to use the name Macedonia as a personal right of self-identification.”