Athens is seeking the removal of what it describes as revisionist and irredentist references from school textbooks used in the Republic of North Macedonia, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou told Parliament on Wednesday, saying that inaccurate terminology violates not only the Prespa Agreement but also that country’s constitution.
Papadopoulou was responding to a question from Giorgos Rountas, an MP with the small, right-wing Niki party, concerning what he described as irredentist references and the appropriation of ancient Macedonian history in newly issued textbooks in North Macedonia.
Rountas cited an official sixth-grade textbook on the “Macedonian language,” claiming that it describes the “homeland” as “always enslaved and tormented” and refers to Alexander the Great as “Alexander the Macedonian,” without adequately distinguishing the ancient Macedonians from the modern identity of citizens of North Macedonia.
He asked what action the Greek side had taken through the joint interdisciplinary committee of experts established under the Prespa Agreement to seek the removal of such references.
Papadopoulou said textbooks are approved and printed by each country’s education ministry, although she stressed that Greece continues to press for what it considers an accurate presentation of historical events, terminology and the origins and identities of historical figures such as Alexander the Great and Philip II in North Macedonia’s educational material.
She also pointed to Articles 7 and 8 of the 2018 Prespa Agreement, which address the parties’ respective understandings of the terms “Macedonia” and “Macedonian” and establish the framework for reviewing historical, archaeological and educational material.
Under Article 8, the two countries established the committee on historical, archaeological and educational issues, tasked with examining school curricula, textbooks and related teaching material and recommending changes where necessary. The committee’s mandate includes addressing irredentist and revisionist references in line with the principles and objectives of UNESCO and the Council of Europe.
The committee has continued to meet, although progress has been uneven. Its meetings have included exchanges of primary and secondary education curricula, with the two sides reviewing textbooks and other educational material as part of the process.
The dispute over textbooks is part of the broader and continuing difficulty in implementing the Prespa Agreement, which entered into force in 2019 and settled the decades-long dispute over the name of Greece’s northern neighbor by establishing the “Republic of North Macedonia” as its constitutional name.
The agreement also sought to address competing historical narratives. Article 8 provides for the review of textbooks and other educational material, while Article 7 distinguishes between the different historical meanings of the terms “Macedonia” and “Macedonian” as used by the two parties.
The issue has remained politically sensitive in both Greece and North Macedonia. References by North Macedonian officials to the country simply as “Macedonia” standalone, rather than by its constitutional name, have repeatedly drawn criticism from Athens and prompted concerns about implementation of the Prespa Agreement.
Papadopoulou said the Greek side was continuing to press its case through the joint committee and diplomatic channels, while the committee’s deliberations and minutes remain confidential.
