SKOPJE, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov on Monday declared that the decision of President Gjorge Ivanov not to vote in the name referendum on Sept. 30 is shameful.
President Ivanov, according to Dimitrov, did not respect the Constitution by any action, on the contrary, he violated it with the decision not to enact the name agreement after the second vote in the Assembly.
"To say about this issue for which we have lost many generations, 27 years of unresolved dispute, that you will not vote, it is really shameful escape from responsibility. You can not stay at home and try to influence the outcome of the referendum," said Dimitrov, adding that without the agreement with Greece, Macedonia's path to NATO and the European Union (EU) will remain forever closed.
Meanwhile, Dimitrov stressed that the name agreement with Greece is the best that has been achieved and that it protects Macedonian identity, language and culture.
Ivanov announced the decision not to vote on Sept. 30 referendum from the United States. Ivanov said that the agreement is detrimental to national and state interests.
"I was one of those who gave my vote for Macedonia in 1991 for its constitution as an independent and sovereign state with its name and identity. Second, I have taken the trust of citizens not to allow the Constitution to change, in order to change the name of the state. I have taken the confidence not to accept the ideas and recommendations that endanger the national identity, the features of the Macedonian nation, the language and the pattern of coexistence. I do not give up on my promise so on Sept. 30 I will not go out and vote," said Ivanov.
The referendum is considered crucial to Macedonia's NATO and EU membership process.
