FYROM at a crossroads as name deal referendum looms

The referendum this Sunday on in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) on its name deal with Greece is seen as pivotal for the country's future and the involvement of NATO and the European Union in the western Balkans.

The high stakes have prompted a long list of western leaders to urge voters in the Balkan country to approve the deal, under which FYROM will be called "North Macedonia."

In a Facebook video message addressed to the people of FYROM on Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron described the deal as crucial for the country's future. "I strongly support it and firmly believe this agreement is good for you, for the region and Europe," he said.

The agreement signed in northern Greece's Prespes lake district on June 17 stipulates that FYROM must also change its constitution, ridding it of anything deemed as expressing irredentist ambitions...

Continue reading on: