Zaev remarks on constitution cause disgruntlement in Athens

As Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias prepares to visit Skopje amid talks to resolve the name dispute with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), the latter’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev repeated that he sees no need to change the country’s constitution.

“There is no need. Really, the Constitution is a home rulebook… If we change the Constitution, somebody else in the future can change it back,” Zaev said in an interview with Euronews after a visit by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to Skopje on Monday.

Zaev said FYROM amended its constitution in 1993 “because of the feelings of our Greek friends,” adding that any agreement will be “for international use… and that will be a guarantee for both sides.” Zaev said the Balkan state intends to “really put out irredentism.”

The recent barrage of statements from Skopje appears to have caused discontent in Athens.

“Skopje’s side believes that any solution will have to be convenient for them. We believe that it must be a solution which will endure over time and be fair,” Kotzias said after a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels Monday.