Macedonia PM: All parties but one support road to EU&NATO

NEWS 19.07.201809:01
REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

Zoran Zaev, Macedonia’s Prime Minister, said that the leaders of all parliamentary parties, except the nationalist opposition VMRO-DPMNE, supported a referendum on the country’s new name agreed with Greece.

The support expressed in the meeting of all parliamentary parties also meant the green light for Macedonian road to both European Union and NATO membership, media reported on Thursday.

The leader of the VMRO-DPMNE, the largest single party in the parliament, Hristian Mickoski left the meeting that focused on the form of the referendum which would confirm the agreement with Athens.

Zaev suggested a referendum's question should be  “Are you for the EU and NATO membership with the acceptance of the Agreement with Greece,” linking the new name, the Republic of North Macedonia, to the Euro-Atlantic association.

The deal agreed in June unlocked Macedonia after the 27-year dispute with Greece about the new name for the former Yugoslav republic, enabling it to start the Euro-Atlantic negotiations as soon as a popular vote confirms the agreement.

NATO has sent an official invitation to Skopje, providing the constitutional changes following the referendum replace the old country's name.