Political Reactions to Name Row Agreement in Macedonia Continue

“I strongly believe in the name agreement,” PM Zoran Zaev said following the government’s session on Thursday which had seen the deal with Athens unanimously adopted. As he added, with a clear and recognised identity for the Macedonian nation’s individuality, the issue is finally being closed, while the country’s future is being opened. The agreement has been declassified and available to the public. On the other hand, VMRO-DPMNE continued to level criticism over the name issue developments. “Zaev has accepted to give up on history,” the party said. The former leader of VMRO-DPMNE, Nikola Gruevski, too, presented a negative stand on the agreement. According to the former PM, what was publicly rejected in 2009 has now been accepted in a much worse version. SDSM, however, said that EU and NATO membership were a top state and national interest. “Therefore, if VMRO-DPMNE is guided by these interests, it should support the agreement,” Zaev’s party stressed. Many media have reported that the deal can be found on this link.