FYROM's President Ivanov says he won’t sign new name deal

After FYROM's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev agreed to the name "Northern Macedonia" with Greek PM Tsipras, President Gjorge Ivanov declared he would not sign off on the deal.

The proposed deal between Skopje and Athens on adopting the name "Republic of North Macedonia" for the country is "unacceptable," Ivanov said on Wednesday.

Only a day before, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and his foreign minister, Nikola Dimitrov announced the deal with their Greek counterparts to end the decades-long name dispute, which blocks Skopje's efforts in joining NATO and the EU.

President Ivanov, broke off a Wednesday meeting with Zaev and Dimitrov in which he was set to hear the arguments in favour of changing the name.

Ivanov then told the public the deal was a "personal" matter of Zaev and Dimitrov and accused them of not seeking to reach consensus on the issue.

"The text of the agreement is disastrous," Ivanov said. "Is it really patriotism to give Greece everything it asks for, while we get nothing?"

Ivanov also said the agreement was deleting the history of the 2-million-strong country, which seceded from former Yugoslavia in 1991. He added that joining NATO and the EU could not be used as justifications to sign a "damaging" deal.

"The people, wherever they are, should not be afraid," he said. "My decision is final and I won't be intimidated by any threats or blackmail."

The deal pushed by Zaev is set to be signed by the foreign ministers of Greece and FYROM during the weekend, and then directed to the Skopje parliament for a vote.