How did the Prespa Agreement describe the relationship between Macedonian identity and ancient Greek heritage?

The Prespa Agreement, signed in 2018, addressed the long-standing dispute between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia regarding national identity and historical heritage. A central component of the agreement was the formal acknowledgment that the terms "Macedonia" and "Macedonian" refer to different histories, cultures, and heritages for each country.12

Specifically, the agreement stipulated that the Macedonian language and other cultural and historical attributes of North Macedonia are not related to the ancient Hellenic civilization, history, culture, or heritage of the northern region of Greece. By establishing this distinction, the agreement effectively rejected claims by North Macedonia to the legacy of Alexander the Great and the ancient Macedonians, which Greece maintains as its own exclusive national heritage. This provision served to end the policy of "antiquization" previously pursued by the Macedonian government, which had involved erecting statues of ancient figures and naming infrastructure after them, a practice that had significantly strained relations between the two nations.12