Macedonian government agrees to change the country's name after decades-long dispute with Greece
Greece has promised to lift its veto on Macedonia joining the EU and Nato under the agreement
The government of Macedonia has struck an agreement with Greece to change the country’s name, bringing an end to a long-running dispute between the two nations.
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.
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
Additional story at Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/north-macedonia-new-name-greece-macedon-un-eu-alexis-tsipras-zoran-zaev-a8395971.html