The President of the Republic of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, signed decrees recalling a total of nine ambassadors, the President's Office announced today, BTA reported.
The appointed ambassadors are required by law to present their views on relations with the host country or international organization to the parliamentary foreign policy committee before being appointed, and eight of the nine recalled did not do so.
Among those recalled is the Ambassador of the Republic of North Macedonia to Bulgaria, Agneza Rusi Popovska, and local media began writing about her replacement at the end of January.
There was talk of changing the heads of the country's diplomatic missions shortly after the government of VMRO-DPMNE took office. In this regard, an interpretation was requested as to whether the president can issue a decree appointing ambassadors if they have not presented their priorities to the Foreign Policy Committee, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade announced that a new law on the diplomatic service is being prepared.
Among those recalled by the president today are Jakup Rexhepi, who is Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Bosnia and Herzegovina; Metodija Belevski - Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg; Emil Krasteski - Ambassador to the Czech Republic; Pajo Avirovic - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Head of the Permanent Mission to International Organizations; Zecir Ramcilovic - Ambassador to Montenegro; Katerina Stavreska - Ambassador to the United Kingdom.
The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative of the Republic of North Macedonia to the Council of Europe, Svetlana Geleva, has also been recalled due to the end of her mandate.
Following a decree by the President of the Republic of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska, in November last year, seven ambassadors of North Macedonia have already returned to the country, but the government in Skopje has already appointed ambassadors to Japan, Croatia, Ukraine and France.