Prime Minister Zoran Zaev pleaded with the European countries to reward his name change project on Macedonia, and allow the country to open EU accession talks in October. During an Economist conference in Skopje, attended by a number of former officials and leaders, Zaev said that failure to open the talks would mean punishing the “best example in Europe”.

If they don’t reach a positive decision they will punish the best example not only in the Balkans but in Europe, after our treaties with Greece and Builgaria. We are a country with functional democratic institutions, we have dialogue with the opposition and are a good example for other regions too. The least the EU can do is continue to support us, Zaev said, two weeks before the decision is expected to be made.

The conference also includes former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who signed the Prespa treaty with Zaev and was voted out of office shortly after. Other former officials included US diplomat Wess Mitchell and German social-democrat Martin Schulz, who supported the opening of accession talks but said there are no guarantees it will happen.

Tsipras said that the EU should overcome its nationalist introversion and approve the opening of accession talks with “North” Macedonia. Mitchell warned that if the West doesn’t fill in the geo-political void in the Balkans, it will be done by countries such as China or Russia.