| Author (Corporate) | Cardiff EDC (Compiler) |
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| Publication Date | June 2018 |
| Content Type | News |
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Summary: Governments from Greece and FYR Macedonia announced on 12 June 2017 they had reached an agreement on a name dispute which had cause great division in the region. The deal was signed on 17 June, proposing the designation of 'Republic of North Macedonia' to rename the Balkan country. Protests erupted on both sides of the border. The Macedonian President announced his intention not to sign the agreement, while in the Greek Government survived a no-confidence vote in the Parliament over this deal. Further information: The agreement needed to be approved by both Parliaments. In FYR Macedonia the document would lead to changes in the Constitution and would also be put to a referendum vote. The naming dispute poisoned relations between the two neighbouring nations ever since the Balkan country declared its independence in the early 1990s. A new impetus for negotiations appeared as FYR Macedonia installed a new government. Negotiations continued for around a year before the announcement was made possible.
The name dispute has also prevented FYR Macedonia from advancing its EU and NATO aspirations. It was granted EU candidate status in 2005 but never started accession talks, partly due to this dispute with Greece. The same reason led Greece to block a Macedonian bid to become a member of the NATO alliance. |
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| Subject Categories | Politics and International Relations |
| Subject Tags | Bilateral Relations |
| Keywords | Prespa Agreement |
| Countries / Regions | Greece, North Macedonia, Southeastern Europe |
