Greek and Macedonian PMs have reportedly settled on the name Republic of Northern Macedonia. It has taken more than 25 years, divided two nations and been cause for protests great and small, but Greece and Macedonia finally declared peace on June 12, according to The Guardian.
After countless rounds of UN-mediated talks, the two Balkan neighbors announced that they had agreed to end the row over what to call the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
Greece has long objected to the use of the name Macedonia because it was shared by the ancient Greek kingdom ruled by Alexander of Macedon, and is also used by an adjacent Greek region.
As a result of Greece’s objections Macedonia was only admitted to the UN under the provisional name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia after it gained its independence in 1991 from the break-up of Yugoslavia.
The Independent says that under the deal the country’s name would be changed to the Republic of Northern Macedonia, to reflect the existence of the Greek region of Macedonia on the other side of the border and the cultural claim Greeks see over it. The name would be used both internally by the government and externally when conducting foreign affairs.
The accord was reportedly finalized during a phone call between Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev on Tuesday, and in return for the name change Greece would lift its vetoes on the country joining the EU and NATO.
Both countries’ parliaments need to ratify the deal, and Macedonia is expected to hold a referendum on the issue.
