Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov walked out of a meeting with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov who informed him of the agreement reached with Greece on the name of the former Yugoslav republic.

The Skoplje-based Makfaks news agency said that Ivanov voiced dissatisfaction with the agreement to re-name the country Northern Macedonia before walking out of the two-minute meeting.  

A press release from the president’s cabinet said simply: “We are announcing that the meeting lasted two minutes. President Ivanov will address the citizens of Macedonia today.”  

 The Macedonian government also issued a press release saying that the president “left the meeting and refused to discuss the advantages of the historic agreement”.  

“Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrovic tried to present and discuss the content of the agreement with Greece on the name but Gjorge Ivanov left the meeting and refused to discuss the advantages of the historic agreement,” it said.