EU officials hail FYROM parliament vote
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, and the bloc’s Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn on Friday hailed the approval by the parliament in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia of constitutional changes to rename the country “Republic of North Macedonia.”
The deal, if ratified by Greece, will clear the way for FYROM to join NATO and potentially the EU.
“Political leaders and citizens alike have shown their determination to seize this unique and historic opportunity in solving one of the oldest disputes in the region, and decisively move forward on the European Union path,” the EU officials said in a joint statement.
“The EU strongly supports this agreement which sets an example of reconciliation for the region and Europe as a whole,” they said.
Below is the full statement:
We express our wholehearted congratulations on the Parliament's vote on the constitutional changes today. This is a crucial step in implementing the historic Prespa agreement.
Political leaders and citizens alike have shown their determination to seize this unique and historic opportunity in solving one of the oldest disputes in the region, and decisively move forward on the European Union path. The EU strongly supports this agreement which sets an example of reconciliation for the region and Europe as a whole.
As we are awaiting the completion of the next steps leading to the full implementation of the Prespa Agreement, the European Union remains firmly committed to continue to fully support and accompany the country towards its common strategic goal of EU integration.
