Greek Parliament OKs New Name for FYROM; Agrees to Call It Republic of North Macedonia

Greek lawmakers approved a name change for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) today (January 25, 2019), agreeing that it will now be called the Republic of North Macedonia, according to the Greek Reporter website.

Out of 300 M.P.'s, 153 voted in favor of the new name. There were 146 who voted against it, and there was one abstention.

The FYROM parliament endorsed the constitutional changes related to the name deal on January 11, agreeing to rename the country North Macedonia.

The accord's ratification by the Greek parliament is expected to unblock North Macedonia's acceptance into NATO and the European Union (EU), which Greece had previously blocked because of a bordering province in northern Greece by the name of Macedonia -- the birthplace of Alexander the Great.