MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Monday it hoped the situation in Macedonia would unfold in line with the law after a referendum there seeking to change the country’s name failed to secure the 50 percent turnout needed to make it valid.

Macedonia’s prime minister has pledged to press ahead with a vote in parliament to change the country’s name to resolve a decades-old dispute with Greece.

“We are observing closely and of course think that all the processes should remain within the framework of the law,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.