Macedonia Gets New Name, Ending 27-Year Dispute With Greece

Ever since the Republic of Macedonia declared its independence in 1991, Greece has been fighting the country over its name. Today the 27-year impasse ended as two nations finally came to a resolution: The former Yugoslav republic is getting a new name, the Republic of North Macedonia.

"There is no way back," Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said in a press conference, Reuters reports, after he spoke with his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras. "Our bid in the compromise is a defined and precise name, the name that is honorable and geographically precise — Republic of Northern Macedonia."

When Yugoslavia disintegrated, one of its pieces declared itself the Republic of Macedonia. But its southern neighbor, Greece, has regions that use the same name, and both countries argued that they had the rightful claim to it.

"We have a deal. I'm happy because we have a good deal which covers all the preconditions set by the Greek side," Tsipras said, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

The issue has been heated, and one with very real repercussions for Macedonia: It hasn't been able to join the European Union or NATO because Greece opposed its name. It was admitted to the United Nations as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, because of Greece's objection.

The statements from diplomats trumpeting today's deal reflect the linguistic awkwardness of the issue. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg's statement refers to "the agreement between Athens and Skopje" rather than naming the countries.

"This historic agreement is testament to many years of patient diplomacy, and to the willingness of these two leaders to solve a dispute which has affected the region for too long," Stoltenberg said. "I now call on both countries to finalise the agreement reached by the two leaders. This will set Skopje on its path to NATO membership. And it will help to consolidate peace and stability across the wider Western Balkans."

In February, as NPR's Joanna Kakassis reported, more than 140,000 Greeks marched to parliament in Athens as part of a "Macedonia is Greece" rally, chanting that the name "is in our soul." The issues cut deep in both countries, she explains, and involve a historical figure from 25 centuries ago:

Greece has a northern province called Macedonia, also the cradle of ancient Macedonia and its most famous leader, Alexander the Great. Greece considers Macedonia a non-negotiable part of its history. Its neighbor, meanwhile, considers Alexander — who incorporated its land into an empire that extended to India — part of local identity. Macedonia's flag is emblazoned with the Sun of Vergina — a symbol associated with the dynasty of Alexander and his father Philip. As a result, previous Greek governments have claimed that the Republic of Macedonia— tiny, impoverished and with virtually no military might — also has territorial designs on its province. So Greece calls its neighbor Skopje, after the capital, or Fyrom, the acronym for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the provisional name under which it was admitted to the United Nations.

Last week, protests took place in both Greece and Macedonia against the proposed compromise.

Matthew Nimetz, a retired U.S. diplomat, has been the U.N. mediator on the issue since 1994. He told the BBC last year that he probably has spent more time thinking about the word "Macedonia" than anyone, including in the country itself.

In a statement, Nimetz congratulated the two prime ministers on reaching an agreement: "I have no doubt this agreement will lead to a period of enhanced relations between the two neighbouring countries and especially between their people." </s> Greek MPs have voted narrowly to back a historic agreement with Macedonia, bringing to an end a 27-year dispute over its northern neighbour's name.

The parliament in Athens agreed by 153 votes to 146 to approve the name Republic of North Macedonia, despite widespread opposition from the public.

Greeks have rejected Macedonia's name since its independence in 1991, as they have a region of the same name.

Opposition to the deal is strongest in the northern Greek region of Macedonia, but polls suggest more than 60% of Greeks dislike it.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who brokered the deal, told MPs before the vote that it would be a "historic step" which would end "30 years of hypocrisy".

He said his country's neighbours would become a friend and ally with the agreement.

A small group of protesters demonstrated outside as the vote took place.

The debate in the chamber lasted more than 38 hours, and more than 200 MPs spoke during it.

Members of the far-right Golden Dawn party shouted "Traitors!" at points during the vote.

What is the name change?

The Prespa agreement to resolve the long-running dispute was signed by the two countries' prime ministers last June.

The agreement means that Macedonia, which is formally called Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (or Fyrom) at the United Nations, will now become the Republic of North Macedonia, or North Macedonia in short.

Macedonia has already ratified the agreement.

The next step will be for Greece to inform its neighbour and then for Macedonia to tell the United Nations.

Friday's vote clears the way for the former Yugoslav republic's accession to Nato, and Nato ambassadors will convene in the coming days to sign the a protocol.

The deal only becomes final once the Nato accession protocol is ratified in Athens.

During Friday's debate, one MP from the ruling left-wing Syriza party, Eleni Stamatakis, said it was a "historic day for our country, but also the Balkans". </s> After two days of heated debate, Greece’s Parliament voted by a slim margin on the evening of February 8 to approve the Nato accession protocol of the former Yugoslav republic to be known as the “Republic of North Macedonia”.

Greece’s legislature, which has 300 members, saw the vote end with 153 in favour and 140 against. The vote was carried with the support of 145 votes from Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s Syriza party and six independent MPs.

Opposition to approval came from Tsipras’s estranged former coalition partner, the Independent Greeks (ANEL), with Panos Kammenos lashing out at the Prime Minister as a “cold assassin”, and from opposition New Democracy, with Kyriakos Mitsotakis saying that he reserved the right – should his party be in government – to block the former Yugoslav republic’s accession to the European Union.

The February 8 vote in the legislature in Athens was a major step in the dramatic developments between Athens and Skopje in the past two years.

Tsipras and his counterpart from Skopje, Zoran Zaev, achieved the Prespa Agreement, intended to bring to an end the decades-long dispute over the use of the name “Republic of Macedonia” by the former Yugoslav republic. This name dispute previously had led to Greece – objecting to what it saw as potential territorial claims by Skopje, amid an emotional bilateral political contretemps – blocking its neighbour’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

The vote in Athens came two days after, at a ceremony in Brussels, current Nato member states’ ambassadors signed the accession protocol of the country that when the Prespa Agreement comes into full effect will be known as the Republic of North Macedonia.

Once all Nato member states have ratified the accession protocol, the Republic of North Macedonia will be a member of the Alliance. </s> SKOPJE (Reuters) - At the Bogorodica border crossing with Greece, Macedonian workers on Wednesday placed stencils on road signs bearing their country's official new name, the Republic of North Macedonia, making a first step in implementing a landmark deal with Athens.

Greece and Macedonia agreed on the new name last June and Athens lifted its 27-year veto on its tiny neighbour's efforts to join NATO and the European Union. Greece had said use of the name Macedonia implied a territorial claim on a northern Greek province of the same name.

"May today be the beginning of a long friendship between Greece and North Macedonia," Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov said in a tweet.

"We can’t change our past, but we can and we will shape our future of friendship, partnership and cooperation."

Under the provisions of the agreement with Athens, Macedonia's customs office must put stencils with the new name on road signs at all border crossings and also at the airports of Skopje and Ohrid within three days.

All plaques on offices must also be replaced within four months, while the Interior Ministry should start issuing new passports by the end of 2019. The central bank in Skopje will start issuing new banknotes by the beginning of 2020.

Last week, Macedonia signed an accession protocol with NATO despite Russian criticism that further expansion by the alliance in the Balkans would undermine regional stability.

The protocol must now be ratified by all allied governments, a process that typically takes about a year.

Under the deal with Greece, the country's previous official name 'The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia' passes into history, and with it the last vestiges of the now-defunct six-republic Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia, which fell appart in a series of bloody wars in the 1990s.

Three other ex-Yugoslav republics - Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro - have already joined NATO, as have other countries in the Balkans including Albania, Bulgaria and Romania.

Of the six ex-Yugoslav republics, Serbia - which is militarily neutral and seeks close ties with both NATO and Russia - and Bosnia remain outside NATO. </s> Talks to end Greece-Macedonia name dispute near final stage

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The foreign ministers of Greece and Macedonia say they have concluded the main round of negotiations to end a long-standing dispute over the Macedonia name, with the final stage of talks to be led by the countries' prime ministers.

Foreign ministers Nikos Kotzias of Greece and Nikola Dimitrov of Macedonia met in Brussels on the sidelines of a European Union meeting Monday. In separate statements, they said further negotiations on the name issue would be directed by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Macedonia's Zoran Zaev.

Zaev's government has committed to modifying the republic's name to address Greek concerns that the current name implies a territorial claim to Greece's Macedonia region.

In return, Athens has promised to lift its objections to Macedonia's NATO membership.

The Republic of Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. </s> A rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but Macedonia can’t keep its current name and please Greece.

Still, the fix may be relatively simple. The addition of one word—North—may make all the difference in resolving a 27-year diplomatic dispute, and there may soon be a nation called North Macedonia.

The neighboring nations Greece and Macedonia have been debating Macedonia’s chosen name since 1991, when the small country that was once part of the former Yugoslavia adopted the name. Greece objects because it has its own region called Macedonia. It also takes offense because it argues that its northern neighbor’s name indicates its greater territorial ambitions. Macedonia, for its part, will agree to the name change if Greece will stop blocking its efforts to join NATO and the European Union.

In 1995, the two countries came to an interim agreement brokered by the UN. Macedonia came to be known as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, or FYROM. Today (June 12), leaders from both nations said a final agreement may well have been reached.

Re-birth of a nation: The Republic of North Macedonia

The new name, Republic of North Macedonia—Severna Makedonija in Macedonian—should resolve the conflict once and for all. According to the BBC, Macedonian prime minister Zoran Zaev, speaking live on TV in Macedonia, said, “There is no way back.”

Don’t break out the champagne just yet. First the Macedonian parliament and people have to vote on the proposed new name. And the Greek parliament has to agree that this is an acceptable resolution. Macedonia will also have to change its constitution, according to Zaev.

He reportedly proposed four options to settle the long-standing dispute, including Republic of North Macedonia, Republic of Upper Macedonia, Republic of Vardar Macedonia and Republic of Macedonia. Last month, at an EU summit in Bulgaria, Zaev and Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras discussed a resolution, and the two spoke twice on the phone this week before announcing the deal. They got kudos from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who tweeted his pleasure over the “historic agreement.”

The history behind the dispute

Greece was peeved by Macedonia’s choice of name for historic reasons. In the 4th Century BC, the Macedonian Empire ruled by Alexander the Great included what is now modern Greece. The Greeks argue that modern Macedonia is actually part of Hellenic culture. But the new deal will also emphasize the fact that Macedonians to the north speak a Slavic language and don’t have a linguistic kinship with the Macedonians of Greece.

The BBC reports that many Greeks are resistant to a deal that includes the name Macedonia at all. Earlier this month protestors descended on 25 cities to oppose an agreement. Similarly, in February, protests in Athens and Thessaloniki prompted renowned Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis to proclaim, “Macedonia was, is and will forever be Greek.”

It seems, however, that the Republic of North Macedonia, won’t be.

Read next: Nearly every country on Earth is named after one of four things </s> A vote in Greece’s parliament to end a name dispute with neighboring FYR Macedonia, set to take place late Thursday, has been pushed back to Friday.

A deal reached between the two countries last year would have FYR Macedonia change its name to North Macedonia in exchange for Greece allowing North Macedonia’s bid to join NATO.

FYR Macedonia’s parliament backed the constitutional amendment to change its name, but for the deal to be complete, the changes must also be passed by Greece’s parliament.

The vote, initially scheduled to be held after midnight Thursday, was pushed back several hours to Friday to accommodate the large number of Greek lawmakers who wished to speak on the issue before the balloting.

The announcement on the delay came as protesters from the Greek Communist Party draped giant banners outside the Acropolis which read “No to the Tsipras-Zaev agreement.”

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his FYR Macedonian counterpart, Zoran Zaev, have reportedly been nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for their agreement last year to move to end one of the world’s longest diplomatic disputes – which began in 1991 when FYR Macedonia split from Yugoslavia.

But Greeks have been divided over the accord, in which Macedonia will change its name to the Republic of North Macedonia. Some Greeks say the new name still represents an attempt to appropriate Greek identity and cultural heritage, because Macedonia is also the name of Greece’s northern province made famous by Alexander the Great’s conquests.

The agreement has led Tsipras to lose his four-year coalition in parliament after his nationalist allies defected to protest the deal. Following the upheaval, Tsipras narrowly won a confidence vote in parliament Wednesday.

The agreement has also caused protests in FYR Macedonia, with critics there saying the government gave up too much in the deal. </s> ATHENS/SKOPJE(AFP) - On Friday (Jan 25), Greek lawmakers ratified a landmark name change deal with neighbouring Macedonia, approving the new name "Republic of North Macedonia" for its northern neighbour two weeks after a similar vote by Macedonian lawmakers.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras hailed the ratification by parliament in Athens as a "historic day".

"Today we write a new page for the Balkans. The hatred of nationalism, dispute and conflict will be replaced by friendship, peace and cooperation," Tsipras said on his Twitter page.

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev also congratulated his Greek counterpart for a "historic victory".

"Congratulations my friend" Alexis Tsipras, Zaev said on Twitter. "Together with our peoples we reached a historic victory. Long live the Prespa Agreement! For eternal peace and progress of the Balkans and in Europe!"

The move should help end a row that has long poisoned relations between the neighbours and clear the path for Skopje to join the European Union and Nato.

The deal to rename Greece's northern neighbour the Republic of North Macedonia was brokered by Tsipras and Zaev in June.

It is an achievement that has seen both leaders nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize - even as it came at an immediate cost to Tsipras by sinking his coalition government and saw protests in both countries. The deal will end a bitter row that began in 1991 with the independence of Macedonia, which took the name of the history-rich northern Greek region that lies just across the border.

In addition to normalising relations between the two countries, implementation of the agreement will open the door for Macedonia to join the European Union and Nato, hitherto blocked by Athens' veto.

Critics say the agreement - which drops Greece's objections to an official Macedonian language and identity - opens the way for possible cultural usurpation and trade disputes. They note that just a few years back, Skopje enthusiastically sought to appropriate Alexander the Great, ancient king of Macedon and one of Greece's greatest heroes.

Here is some background on the dispute:

Greece rejects the name Macedonia, adopted by the country at its independence from the former Yugoslavia 27 years ago, as it is also that of a large Greek region that evokes national pride as the cradle of Alexander the Great's ancient empire.

Macedonia's international recognition is immediately stalled by Greece because of its name.

Besides claiming the title as part of its heritage and identity, Greece fears Skopje could harbour territorial ambitions over its own region of Macedonia just across the border.

It is only with the adoption of a provisional name - the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) - that the country is finally admitted into the United Nations in 1993.

Most other nations, including Russia and the United States, later recognise its constitutional title, the Republic of Macedonia.

In 1994, Greece imposes an economic embargo on Macedonia and prevents it from using the Greek port at Thessaloniki, Skopje's main trading post.

Greece also demands that Macedonia drop from its flag the golden sun of Vergina, claiming it as an ancient Greek symbol, as well as certain articles from its constitution.

In 1995, the neighbours sign an accord in New York opening the way for a normalisation of trade and political ties but leaving the name dispute hanging.

They then open liaison offices in their respective capitals and a new Macedonian flag - with a different sun symbol - is raised for the first time at the United Nations.

In 2001, Greece expresses support for Skopje as it faces an armed conflict with ethnic Albanian rebels.

After Macedonia becomes a candidate for EU membership in 2005, Greece blocks the start of negotiations, still rejecting its title.

In 2008 Macedonia is invited for Nato membership under its provisional name, but again faces a Greek veto.

Relations plummet with the erection of a huge statue of Alexander the Great in Skopje in 2011. Athens views it as an attempt to appropriate one of its greatest heroes.

Athens in 2016 accuses Skopje of excessive use of force against hundreds of migrants, many fleeing the war in Syria.

Soon after his election in May 2017, Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev promises a new push to settle the name dispute as he relaunches the drive for EU and Nato membership.

Negotiations restart in January 2018 under UN auspices, despite strong opposition from nationalists in both countries.

In June, the two sides settle on "Republic of North Macedonia".

A September referendum among Macedonians shows 90 per cent agree with the name change - but two-thirds of registered voters shun the ballot.

In October, Macedonia's Parliament, which must approve constitutional changes, votes by a razor-thin majority to begin the process of renaming the country.

The Parliament in December votes for a second reading of the four amendments required to the Constitution, with the final vote passed two weeks ago. The motion receives the required two-thirds majority by just one vote.

On Jan 25, Greek lawmakers voted by a narrow majority to ratify the name change. </s> ATHENS, Greece — The Latest on the name dispute between Greece and Macedonia (all times local):

The Greek parliament speaker’s office says a vote to ratify a deal with neighbouring Macedonia to change that country’s name to normalize relations and allow it to join NATO has been pushed back to Friday.

The delay aims to accommodate the large number of lawmakers who want to speak during the debate.

The vote had been scheduled to take place late Thursday night, but the office said there would not have been enough time to allow everyone registered to speak to have a turn on the podium.

Under the agreement signed last year, Macedonia will change its name to North Macedonia and Greece will drop its objections to the country’s accession to NATO, ending a nearly three decade-long dispute. But the deal faces strong opposition in both countries.

About 1,500 police officers have taken up positions around Athens before demonstrations planned against Greece’s ratification of an agreement with Macedonia to normalize relations after decades of strain.

A four-day parliamentary debate was due to end late Thursday with a vote that would finalize plans by Greece’s neighbour to change its name to North Macedonia and further its bid to join NATO.

Protesters from the Greek Communist Party draped two giant banners opposing the deal over the walls of the ancient Acropolis early Thursday.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ government needs support from up to six opposition lawmakers for the agreement to be ratified.

Opponents argue that the deal doesn’t end a potential territorial threat to Greece’s northern region of Macedonia. Mass demonstrations last Sunday were marred by extensive violence.
Greece and the Republic of Macedonia reach a deal to end a 27-year naming dispute between both countries, which would result in Macedonia being officially renamed the Republic of North Macedonia.