The Foreign Minister of FYROM Nicola Dimitrov hinted that the Prespa agreement can be rescued even if not ratified in the September 30th referendum.

In an interview with the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Dimitrov noted that “the referendum does not constitute a legal prerequisite for the resolution process”, adding that the Prespa agreement described the vote as “a possibility rather than a necessity”.

“Some legal experts believe that in this case, the decision will return to the Parliament,” he added. He did not clarify whether this means restarting the whole process or moving to the final stage of the parliamentary vote on the revision of the Constitution with the necessary minimum two-thirds majority.

The Prespa agreement states “if FYROM decides to hold a referendum”. As a precondition for the implementation of the agreement is the completion of internal procedures in the neighboring country, with emphasis on the revision of the Constitution.