FYROM's Parliament

Amid intensive talks with party leaders to secure the parliamentary votes needed to ratify a contentious deal on the name dispute with Greece, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) Friday sought to dampen concerns in Athens over the agreement.

The contentious name deal between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) is expected to be ratified in FYROM's Parliament earlier than expected, possibly by January 10, meaning that the so-called Prespes agreement will come to Greece's House early too, likely triggering political developments.

The foreign minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Nikola Dimitrov, on Saturday expressed his confidence that the approval of the contentious Prespes name deal, signed with Greece in June, is within reach, with a discussion in FYROM's Parliament to begin on December 1.

Hundreds of citizens of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia staged a protest late on Sunday in the capital of Skopje objecting the potential amendment of the country's constitution to reflect a deal with Greece to change FYROM's name.

A prosecutor in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) launched on Tuesday a preliminary investigation into President Gjorge Ivanov's refusal to sign off on a law approving a deal signed with Greece on the country's name and a separate one extending the official use of the Albanian language.

The strained relationship between Greece's two coalition partners appeared to reach a new low on Wednesday following Defense Minister Panos Kammenos's proposal of a potential alternative plan to the Prespes name deal between Athens and Skopje while on an official visit to Washington. 

With the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's Parliament set to vote on the name deal with Greece on October 16, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg repeated on Monday that without its ratification, the Balkan nation will not be able to join the alliance.

As Zoran Zaev, the prime minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, scrambles to seek political support for a name deal with Greece that drew a low turnout in a referendum on Sunday, Western leaders expressed support for the agreement while Moscow hinted that it could veto the deal at the United Nations Security Council.

The European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and European Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn on Monday expressed their support for the outcome of a referendum to change the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and underlined the "historic opportunity" faced by the Balkan country.

The US State Department said it welcomed the results of a referendum in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to change the country's name.