Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) President Gjorge Ivanov has said he will refuse to accept an ‘erga omnes’ name for the country, curbing the optimism of the country’s premier, Zoran Zaev.
Zaev had announced in a news conference earlier on Wednesday that Athens and Skopje were very close to an agreement and that his talks with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras would seal the deal by Friday.
The FYROM prime minister also said the country’s new name would have to get approval in parliament first and then put to a referendum in the autumn for FYROM’s people to decide.
However, the office of President Gjorge Ivanov issued a statement saying he rejected a name which would apply towards all, both domestically and internationally (erga omnes).
The erga omnes name also means that some changes would have to be done in the country’s constitution.
The Greek prime minister’s office issued a statement in response, saying that the position of Greece was clear.
Athens is skeptical after the new development, as the FYROM prime minister has not stated clearly yet whether he would accept an ‘erga omnes’ name.
“A solution (to the name issue) and FYROM’s accession to NATO and the EU requires an agreement for a composite name with a geographical or chronological qualifier that will be enforced towards all and also requires a constitutional review,” has been the official position of Greece so far.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
