Macedonia’s president refuses to sign agreement on country’s name change

Macedonia’s President Gjorge Ivanov refused on Tuesday to sign an agreement on changing the name of the former Yugoslav republic, saying it violated the constitution. Ivanov said he had “no mandate to sign the agreement,” according to the state-run agency MIA. This month, the foreign ministers of Greece and Macedonia agreed to rename the tiny ex-Yugoslav republic the “Republic of North Macedonia.” Macedonia’s parliament on June 20 ratified the deal to end a decades-long dispute with Greece. Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has said the agreement boosts Macedonia’s security and stability.