Greece and Macedonia set aside a 27-year-old dispute to sign an agreement to change the latter’s name to to the Republic of Northern Macedonia on Sunday.
This new name for the Balkan state will pave the way for Macedonia’s admission to the European Union and NATO.
The foreign minister of Greece Nikos Kotzias and his Macedonian counterpart Nikola Dimitrov signed an accord to rename the former Yugoslav republic despite protests on both sides over a deal seen as a national sellout, according to reports.
The deal was sealed in the presence of European and United Nations officials. This move comes a day after Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras survived a no-confidence vote mounted by Greece’s opposition in parliament over handling of the dispute.
The agreement still requires nod from the parliaments of Greece and Macedonia and a referendum in Macedonia. Uncertainty surrounds the nod as there is stiff opposition from the Greek public and Macedonia’s president has vowed to block the deal.
After the deal is approved, Greece will lift its objections to the renamed nation joining the European Union (EU) and NATO.
Since 1991, both the countries have been in dispute over the former Yugoslav republic’s name, with Greece arguing it could imply territorial claims over the Greek province of Macedonia, its ancient culture and its civilization.