Macedonia Ends Disputes with Greece by Changing Its Name

Macedonia has ended its decades-long dispute with Greece by officially changing its name to 'North Macedonia', paving the way for the country's entry into the European Union and NATO. Macedonia, registered in the United Nations under the provisional name 'Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia', had strained relations with Greece. Greece considers the region and name of Macedonia a significant part of its history and is dissatisfied that this former Yugoslav republic shares its name with one of its provinces. Zoran Zaev, the Prime Minister of Macedonia, announced on Wednesday, June 12, after a phone conversation with his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras, that from now on, his country will be called 'North Macedonia', which he described as a 'noble and geographically accurate' name. Zaev added, 'By resolving the naming issue, we will become a member of NATO.' However, this agreement must be voted on in the parliaments of both countries, and the people of Macedonia must also approve it in a referendum. Following Macedonia's declaration of independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991, the dispute over the name of this newly independent republic escalated. Greece considers historical Macedonia and Alexander the Great as integral parts of its history and does not accept the formation of a separate country with this name. Furthermore, Greece viewed the establishment of a country sharing a name with one of its provinces as a potential threat to its territorial integrity. Athens and Skopje were working to reach an agreement before the EU summit at the end of this month and the NATO summit next month. Bulgaria, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU, announced that this agreement paves the way for the start of Macedonia's EU membership talks. However, both in Macedonia and Greece, this agreement has faced opposition from several parties. Hristijan Mickoski, leader of the opposition party 'Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization – Democratic Party for National Unity of Macedonia', opposed the agreement, stating, 'Today is a hard day for the Republic of Macedonia. We witnessed a press conference where defeat was presented as a fake victory.' Most opposition parties in Greece also criticized the agreement, stating they would not support it in parliament. Even the 'Independent Greeks' party, which is in coalition with the Prime Minister, did not accept the agreement. Alexis Tsipras, the Prime Minister of Greece, stated on Tuesday in a television program that based on this agreement, 'the northern neighbor has no connection to the culture of ancient Greek Macedonia and cannot have one.' Following the announcement of this agreement, opponents in both countries held protests.