Macedonian referendum

The Parliament of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) has rejected a diaspora group's request for a second referendum on a deal to rename the country North Macedonia in exchange for NATO and potentially European Union membership.

The Greek government is concerned by the insistence of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev on calling his country "Macedonia" following Greece's approval last week of the Prespes deal changing the country's name to North Macedonia, but is expecting a shift in stance when the change is formalized, Kathimerini understands. 

According to the Greek City Times, Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev are in the running for his prestigious award thanks to the signing of the Prespa Agreement.

The agreement, signed in June 2018, renames the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (whose constitutional name was "the Republic of Macedonia)") into "the Republic of North Macedonia."

Foreign Affairs Minister Teodor Melescanu met on Monday with Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Bujar Osmani, who is paying an official visit to Romania, context in which the Romanian minister reiterated Romania's support for the accession of the Republic of Macedonia to the EU and NATO.

The European Union presidency says it will back the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to open accession talks after it reached a deal to change its name.

Romanian European Affairs Minister George Ciamba said Monday he wanted negotiations to start for FYROM in June at a meeting of EU ministers.

Prime Minister Viorica Dancila reiterated on Monday Romania's constant support for the Euro-Atlantic integration of the Republic of Macedonia, within a meeting with Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Bujar Osmani, a Government release informs.

Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas welcomed the adoption of the name agreement signed between Athens and Skopje by the Greek Parliament on Friday as a "victory for diplomacy" and "great news for Europe," and hailed the leading role of Prime Ministers Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has congratulated Greece following Friday's vote in the Greek Parliament to ratify the deal normalizing relations between the two countries.

Members of the Greek parliament, by a majority of votes, ratified the Prespa Agreement, ending a 27-year-long dispute between Athens and Skopje over the name of Macedonia. The change of the name of Macedonia was supported by 153 deputies.

Several hundred opponents of the agreement with Macedonia gathered in front of the Greek Parliament building.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Friday hailed the ratification of a name deal between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) renaming the Balkan country Republic of North Macedonia.