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Macedonian Opposition Says To Contest Name Change At UN As Constitutional Changes Approved
Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published January 12, 2019 | 12:17 AM
The movement "Macedonia Blocks" will refer to the United Nations after the parliament voted in favor of constitutional amendments that are necessary to change the country's name to the Republic of Northern Macedonia, Janko Bachev, the president of the opposition United Macedonia party, which is part of the movement, told Sputnik on Friday
Earlier in the day, Macedonia's 120-seat parliament voted by the required majority in favor of constitutional amendments to change the country's name to Republic of North Macedonia.
"The movement 'Macedonia Blocks,' which our party 'United Macedonia' is a member of, will continue the fight at the international level in the UN," Bachev said.
The lawmaker also stressed that the "puppet government in Skopje" was going against the will of the Macedonian people, the majority of whom are against Macedonia's membership in NATO and the European Union.
"They [the government] want in no matter price to erase everything that is Macedonian, with change of the constitution," Bachev noted, adding that the Greek-Macedonian name change deal is "devastating" for the country.
Liberal values of the West are "unacceptable" for the Macedonians, who prefer traditionalism and their "national and religious identity," according to the lawmaker.
On September 30, Macedonia held a referendum on its renaming after Greek and Macedonian foreign ministers signed a relevant agreement in June. While over 90 percent voted in favor of the deal, only a third of eligible electors took part in the referendum.
The country's new constitutional name will open the way for Macedonia's accession to the European Union and NATO, which has long been blocked by Athens due to the long-standing dispute over the use of the name "Macedonia," which is also the name of a region in Greece.
"Macedonia Blocks" is a movement uniting political parties and civil associations opposed to the name change deal.
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