site.btaPrime Minister Borissov Congratulates Macedonian and Greek Counterparts on Name Deal

Sofia, June 17 (BTA) - Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov on Sunday congratulated his counterparts Alexis Tsipras of Greece and Zoran Zaev of Macedonia, as well as the two countries' foreign ministers, on the signing of the Macedonia name agreement which took place on Lake Prespa earlier in the day.

In a Facebook post, Borissov described the deal as an "important and brave step which they made together."

He further wrote: "The name agreement opens the way for the Republic of Macedonia to the EU and NATO. Bulgaria has always supported its neighbour along that path. The most important thing now is for the citizens of all Balkan countries to realize that the agreement does not imply territorial claims or future problems - on the contrary, it will help us live better together."

The agreement, signed by Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov and Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias, ended a 25-year dispute over Macedonia's name. The new name is the "Republic of North Macedonia."