Zaev: I do not accept a name without translation

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev does not accept the name of the state without translation and changing the Macedonian Constitution. He expressed this attitude in an interview with the German magazine Spiegel.

“I cannot recognize reasonable arguments for such a thing. How would that seem to be, to not translate our name? Should we force Chancellor Merkel and US President Donald Trump to call us, for instance, “Severna Makedonija”? There is no such thing anywhere in the world,” Zaev said.

Similar is the attitude of the Macedonian Prime Minister in terms of the demands for changes in the Constitution, ie change of the constitutional name.

“This name is our pride and our identity. I do not see any reason for changing the name to the Constitution, it is not dignified. Greece needs a trusted partner, not a partner without dignity. The Constitution can change, but those changes could be re-altered. The most important guarantee for Greece is the solution to the name dispute to be sustainable. This is done with international agreements, which are ratified and applied in international organizations, “Zaev said.

After changing the name of the highway and the airport in Skopje, Zaev says no similar gestures are planned in that direction, but announces that joint commissions from both countries will recycle historical textbooks.

At the end of the conversation, Zaev says that they cannot imagine failure of the name dispute talks.
“I do not want to even think that there will not be a solution to the name dispute. We must resolve this dispute, because that is the only way we can further develop, integrate into the EU and become an advanced state with the rule of law. That’s good for the entire region. Failure is unthinkable, for Macedonia, for the entire Western Balkans and in some way the EU,” Zaev said.

Asked by the journalist whether he would have anything against him if he gave the name Zoran to his son, and if that would jeopardize his identity, the Macedonian Prime Minister replied: “Certainly not.” Zoran is a name that exists in many countries of Southeast Europe, not only in Macedonia.”

About whether the German government should participate more actively in the talks, Zaev responded that both sides – both Macedonian and Greek – need support and encouragement, but to put pressure on any of the parties is not the right way.

“No one can take our independent and sovereign decision in the name dispute,” Zaev said.
Regarding the possible territorial claims warned by Greece, Zaev said that the only claims from Macedonia are aimed at the Greek beaches.

“Yes, we want to occupy the beautiful Greek beaches and islands. More than one million Macedonians travel to Greece every year, we spend our money there, we love Greece, there are many contacts between businessmen and tourists. But frankly, we have no other occupational intentions. “