In an interview with MIA, FM Nikola Dimitrov said that the fact that his meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had been held shortly before the start of the referendum campaign was a message that the US backed the Euro-Atlantic path chosen by Macedonia and supported the closure of the final bilateral issue, the name dispute. As he added, it’s also a message that it supports Macedonia’s strategic pledges for NATO integration and that it is good for the region, for Macedonia and for US interests, which primarily are stability in the Balkans. “A great encouragement, that was the main message,” the FM underlined.