Russian FM Spokeswoman Accuses West of Interferance in Macedonia

Western countries are aiming to drag Macedonia into NATO even after a referendum on changing the country’s name was held there, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters on Thursday, TASS reports. “The continuation of heavy-handed outside interference in Macedonia’s internal affairs is evident,” Zakharova stressed. “The goal is obvious – to drag Macedonia into the alliance at any cost.” The diplomat recalled that on September 30, Macedonia held a referendum on changing its name, which has been declared invalid. “Despite the fact that leading politicians in the EU and NATO member-states openly urged Macedonian citizens to vote in favour [of changing its name], which, we believe is a totally unacceptable practice, all this ended in failure,” Zakharova pointed out.