Many Macedonians doubt legality of agreement to rename country - Lavrov
BANJA LUKA. Sept 21 (Interfax) - Russia is not in favor of any particular decision at the upcoming referendum on renaming Macedonia, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"We are not saying anything which might be construed as agitation for this or other vote," Lavrov told a press conference after talks in Banja Luka on Friday.
The legality of the agreement between the Athens and Skopje, which is the subject matter of the referendum, "is being doubted by many Macedonian political forces," he said.
By contrast, the United States and the European Union are actively campaigning in favor of this agreement, thereby interfering in Macedonia's domestic affairs, Lavrov said.
Many U.S. and EU officials, who visited Macedonia recently, publicly expressed their support for the agreement, he said.
"If that is not direct interference in domestic affairs, then I don't even know what could be called an interference," Lavrov said.