Russia's foreign ministry on Monday referred to the "will of the people" in directly criticizing the recent decision by the Parliament in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM) to change the constitution in the neighboring country in line with ratifying the Prespa agreement.
Moscow did not mask its displeasure over the possible resolution to the fYRoM "name issue", which would fully open the door to NATO accession by the one-time Yugoslav constituent state - viewed by analysts as the thinly veiled underlying reason for the Russian side's continuing attacks on the accord.
The eyebrow-raising statement referred to the imposition "from outside", adding that the bilateral agreement "does not reflect the will of the people..."
"What we see comes in continuation of the process to artificially change the state name imposed from outside with an aim of pulling Skopje into NATO as soon as possible," the Russian ministry stated, according to a TASS dispatch
In using the neighboring country's constitutional name, the main difference that the agreement aims to resolve, the Russian ministry added that "...this is being done in violation of the Macedonian legislation. The position of the head of the Republic of Macedonia and the opinion of the majority of its population rejecting the Prespa accord are being ignored."
The Russian statement also touched on the latest political developments in Greece, and opposition in the country to the agreement.
The statement comes in diametric opposition to same-day statements by the US, French and German governments hailing the process in fYRoM and the bilateral deal, overall.
