Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Greece OKs Republic of North Macedonia Name; New Name Halts Years of Greece-FYROM Feuds

Greece and FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) have reached a historic accord to resolve a dispute over the former Yugoslav republic's name that has troubled relations between the two countries for decades, the Reuters website reports today (June 12, 2018).

"We have a deal," Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said. "I'm happy because we have a good deal which covers all the preconditions set by the Greek side," he said during a televised meeting. The new name for FYROM is "Republic of North Macedonia."

The dispute over the "Macedonia" name had been a thorn in relations between the two countries at least since 1991, when Macedonia broke away from former Yugoslavia, declaring its independence under the name Republic of Macedonia.

Greece, which has a northern province also called Macedonia bordering on the ex-Yugoslav republic, objected to the name, demanding it be changed. Macedonia was also the birthplace of the famous Greek ruler, Alexander the Great.

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