Zoran Zaev gave away everything he was asked to give, and in the end did not get the desired opening of EU accession talks, notes Serbian professor Leon Cohen, after Zaev’s defeat in the local elections in Macedonia and announced resignation as Prime Minister and SDSM party leader.

Zaev played the card of being the most obedient politician who would listen to the West no matter what, and did all they asked him to do. Now, suddenly he is in a situation that Macedonia not only got nothing, it has no chances of gaining anything. The only thing the West really cared about was bringing Macedonia into NATO, but now, the expected EU membership and the promised political, economic and financial aid, nothing from that ever came, Cohen told the Republika.rs news site.

He notes that the voters punished Zaev’s policies of subservience and undermining Macedonian national interests. With his Prespa Treaty with Greece, Zaev imposed a humiliating name and identity change on Macedonia and is trying to reach another, even more intrusive agreement with Bulgaria.