SKOIPJE, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov on Wednesday called the agreement reached Tuesday on the name dispute with Greece as "harmful" for Macedonia and declared that he would not sign it.
According to Ivanov, the agreement announced by the Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras abandoned the country's position on the fact that the Constitution would not be changed.
Moreover, Ivanov considers that the agreement reached violates the Construction and the laws, and that it is reached in a non-transparent way.
"The government did not have the strength and courage to initiate the building of a common stance and consensus. The entire process lacked transparency and the end result is a testimony of this. The text is detrimental to Macedonia," Ivanov said in his TV address.
Ivanov pointed out that for Macedonia joining the European Union and NATO should not serve as an alibi for the agreement, which he said "does not unite the society, but additionally polarizes it."
"Greece has managed to impose its requirements to the fullest, degrading the acquired rights within the United Nations, tramping on the legacy of our ancestors. The 73-year-long right of self-determination and the 27 years of independence are quashed," emphasized Ivanov.
Ivanov had a two-minute meeting Wednesday morning with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and the Macedonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikola Dimitrov where he informed them that this is their personal agreement, a personal decision and their responsibility.
