US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday followed Donald Trump in congratulating the neighboring former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM) on the occasion of its 27th independence anniversary (Saturday), as well as citing the bilateral agreement between Skopje and Athens to finally resolve the long-standing "name issue".
Pompeo referred to stand-alone "Macedonia" in the statement, which read: "...I extend our best regards to the people of Macedonia on the 27th anniversary of your independence on September 8th... We congratulate you on the historic Prespa Agreement, which once implemented, will lead to greater security and prosperity for the people of Macedonia and the whole region. Your commitment to democratic principles, the rule of law, government accountability, and anti-corruption efforts is commendable. The United States strongly supports Macedonia as it moves forward to take its place in the Euro-Atlantic family."
If the agreement passes a referendum in the neighboring country, then ratification by Parliament, it will then be the Greek Parliament's turn to ratify the deal, ostensibly replacing the provisional " former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" as well as the constitutional "Republic of Macedonia" with "Republic of North Macedonia".
