Washington and Skopje have agreed on the need for Macedonia to carry out crucial reforms required by NATO and the European Union, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino said in a press release on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th December, 2018) Washington and Skopje have agreed on the need for Macedonia to carry out crucial reforms required by NATO and the European Union, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino said in a press release on Wednesday."On December 18 in Skopje, Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan reaffirmed with President Gjorge Ivanov the United States' continued support of the landmark Prespa Agreement," Palladino said. "The two also agreed on the need to implement key reforms required by NATO and the EU, including crucial judiciary reforms."
Sullivan is now on his final stop of a multi-day, multi-country trip, which saw him visit Vienna, Bratislava and Sarajevo. He is the highest-level State Department official to visit Macedonia since 2001.
In September, the referendum on the deal to change the name of Macedonia, officially known as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, to the Republic of North Macedonia was held. According to the State Election Commission, 91.46 percent of voters supported renaming the country, while 5.65 percent voted against. The referendum failed, however, to secure the 50 percent turnout needed to make the vote valid.
The referendum was held after the Greek and Macedonian foreign ministers signed the renaming accord in June. The agreement came as a solution to the long-standing dispute over the use of the name "Macedonia," which is also the name of a region in Greece.
If it does change its name, Macedonia will be allowed to pursue EU and NATO membership, a process that had previously been blocked by Greece.
