US welcomes FYROM referendum result, warns against ‘partisan politics’

The US State Department said it welcomed the results of a referendum in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to change the country's name.

"The United States welcomes the results of the Republic of Macedonia’s September 30 referendum, in which citizens expressed their support for NATO and European Union (EU) membership by accepting the Prespa Agreement between Macedonia and Greece," spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a press statement.

"The United States strongly supports the Agreement’s full implementation, which will allow Macedonia to take its rightful place in NATO and the EU, contributing to regional stability, security, and prosperity," the statement added.

As the deal moves to FYROM's parliament for deliberation on constitutional changes, "we urge leaders to rise above partisan politics and seize this historic opportunity to secure a brighter future for the country as a full participant in Western institutions," the statement concluded.