MOSCOW, October 1. /TASS/. The Kremlin is closely monitoring the situation around Macedonia’s Sunday referendum to rename the republic and pave the way for its entrance to the European Union and NATO, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.
"We are closely following (the developments) and we believe that certainly all processes must stay within the legal framework," the spokesman said when commenting on the outcome of the referendum in Macedonia.
On Sunday, the Republic of Macedonia voted in a referendum to rename the Balkan state. The voter turnout was as low as 36.11% after 85.71% of ballots had been counted. As many as 91.25% of the voters cast their ballots in favor of an intergovernmental treaty with Greece on changing the Balkan nation’s name to North Macedonia, and 5.82% voted against.
The voters answered one more question: "Are you in favor of European Union and NATO membership by accepting the agreement between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Greece?"
Under Macedonian law, the referendum’s outcome will be recognized as valid if the voter turnout exceeds 50%
The referendum is meant to put an end to the 27-year-long dispute between Macedonia and Greece over the name of the former Yugoslav republic, which coincides with the name of the northern Greek region.
Athens argued that its neighboring country’s name should be changed and opposed its accession to the European Union and NATO. On June 17, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and his Macedonian counterpart Nikola Dimitrov signed an agreement stating that the former Yugoslav republic would change its name to the Republic of Northern Macedonia. This treaty is due to resolve the years-long dispute on the country’s name and pave the way for its membership to NATO and the European Union, which only Greece has been obstructing.