Zoran Zaev

Zaev said he expected fresh Greek investments to exceed €500m. 'The Republic of North Macedonia will have huge economic benefits from the deal that I believe will be seen in every area of the economy,' Zaev said.

'The Macedonian language is the language of the Macedonians in Australia, America, Canada, Switzerland, and Germany, and no one disputes that,' Zaev declared.

'With the Prespa Agreement, Greece accepted the right of self-identification and that no one any longer can deny our right to be Macedonians who speak the Macedonian language in this land,' Zaev said

FYROM’s Parliament approved the name change by a margin of one vote more than the requisite two-thirds majority, 81 votes in the 120-member legislature.

'This is not the end of reforms but rather the beginning. The problems have not entirely been transcended,' Merkel said.

As for the accord’s recognition of a “Macedonian language”, Zaev said that there is already a UN decision clarifying that FYROM’s language belongs to the family of South Slavic languages.

There are concerns in Greece that MPs who have declared their support may switch at the last moment, so as to ensure their political survival in the general election.

“As President of Bulgaria, I do not agree with the name ‘Northern Macedonia’. There is no such country. That name cannot be adopted. We cannot accept that there is a ‘Macedonian language’," said Rumen Radev.

The term used by FYROM's PM implies that the Greek part of the geographical territory of Macedonia (including Thessaloniki) is unliberated and cut off from the state of FYROM

The two parties combined have four parliamentary seats, which are necessary for Zaev to again garner the two-thirds majority required in the third stage of the constitutional revision.

'Since the referendum was consultative, and not mandatory, it is now up to the Members of Parliament, chosen by the people, to make a decision respecting and following the interests of the citizens, the country and their personal duty,' Zaev told Ta Nea in an exclusive interview.

The government has not answered basic questions about secret understandings reached by Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and PM Alexis Tsipras [with the FYROM side], behind the back of opposition parties and the Greek people.

In response to the question “Do you favour the agreement with Greece on changing the name of the Republic of Macedonia, 52.6 percent of respondents said no, and 47.4 percent said yes.

According to Laura Cooper, the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia, Moscow is paying voters to abstain from the referendum