Zaev remarks puts name deal on rocks

Athens said it expects the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to fully respect the "letter and spirit" of the name deal it signed with Greece last summer after reports that the Balkan country's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said that "Macedonians" in Greece will have the right to be taught the "Macedonian" language.

According to FYROM news sites mkd.mk and vecer.mk, Zaev's remarks were made to a lawmaker of the nationalist VMRO party who asked about the fate of so-called "Aegean Macedonians" under the deal - also known as the Prespes agreement.

In response to questions posed by Kathimerini - whether Zaev did indeed refer to "Aegean Macedonians" and their right to be taught "Macedonian," and if his comments imply the existence of a "Macedonian" minority in Greece - FYROM's government spokesman Mile Bosnjakovski said that under the Prespes deal his country's language...