Greece seeks removal of irredentist references from North Macedonia's school textbooks
Deputy Foreign Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou says Athens is systematically identifying references that contradict the country's official name and calling for the removal or revision of irredentist content in educational materials, eight and a half years after the signing of the Prespa Agreement.
Greece is continuing to press North Macedonia to remove irredentist and revisionist references from its school textbooks, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou told Parliament on Friday, 6 November.
Responding to a parliamentary question from Giorgos Rountas, an MP from the Niki party, Papadopoulou said the Greek side was systematically identifying passages in North Macedonia's educational materials that violate the agreed terminology and contain irredentist references.
"The Greek team identifies and highlights every point in school textbooks that violates the country's name, while also requesting the removal or deletion of references with an irredentist character," she said.
The issue remains a point of contention between the two neighbouring countries, eight and a half years after the signing of the Prespa Agreement in June 2018, which settled the long-standing dispute over the country's name.
Under the agreement, the country's official name became the Republic of North Macedonia, replacing the previous constitutional name, Republic of Macedonia.
Papadopoulou said the Greek Foreign Ministry was also raising the issue at the European level whenever opportunities arose, adding that Athens was closely monitoring developments and providing relevant guidance.
DIPLOMATIC COMMITTEE'S WORK REMAINS CONFIDENTIAL
Asked about the work of the bilateral committee responsible for reviewing educational materials, Papadopoulou declined to disclose specific details, citing the confidential nature of its proceedings.
"The committee's work is governed by confidentiality. This is standard practice in diplomatic-level negotiations. Making details of the discussions and other ongoing actions public would be counterproductive," she said.
The dispute over textbook references remains part of the broader implementation of the Prespa Agreement, which requires both countries to respect the agreed terminology and avoid statements or materials that could imply territorial claims or historical revisionism.
Athens continues to regard the removal of such references from North Macedonia's educational materials as an important element of the agreement's implementation.
