Athens Slams Moscow Over Comments On Macedonia Name Change Deal

The Greek Foreign Ministry on Monday criticized the Russian Foreign Ministry over comments on the adoption of amendments to the Macedonian constitution on the country's name change as "incompatible" with the level of friendship between the two countries, and described them as an interference in internal affairs

ATHENS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th January, 2019) The Greek Foreign Ministry on Monday criticized the Russian Foreign Ministry over comments on the adoption of amendments to the Macedonian constitution on the country's name change as "incompatible" with the level of friendship between the two countries, and described them as an interference in internal affairs.

The Russian Foreign Ministry earlier called the adoption of the amendments a continuation of the artificial name change process imposed from the outside in order to force Skopje to join NATO, which violates the Macedonian legislation, while ignoring the position of the president and the opinion of the majority of the population rejecting the the Prespes accord.

"The comments on the political development of internal events in friendly countries on the part of the Russian Foreign Ministry does not correspond to the level that characterizes relations between Greece and Russia, and the old bonds of friendship between our peoples," the Greek ministry said in a statement.

"We are confident that Russia, which for years recognized FYROM as the Republic of Macedonia will respect the sensitivity of the Greek people to the use of the name Macedonia, and will from now on call this country by its new constitutional name, that is Northern Macedonia, and, most importantly, will refrain from making similar statements that interfere in the internal affairs of Greece," the statement said.