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June 15, 2018 www.intellinews.com I Page 2
Macedonia and Greece reach historic agreement on name dispute
gained by Greece following the Second Balkan war in 1913. The Greek province of Macedonia spans most of the territories of the ancient kingdom of Macedon, and for more than five centuries it was part of the region known as Macedonia within the Ottoman Empire.
The dispute has blocked Macedonia’s Euro-At- lantic aspirations for decades, as Athens refused to allow its neighbour to progress towards EU or Nato membership before the issue was resolved.
Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev announced the deal at a news conference in Skopje attended by all his ministers, after he held his second phone conversation in two days with his Greek peer Alexis Tsipras.
“We reached an historic solution,” said Zaev, who was noticeably happy at the news conference, adding that the agreement will open chances for Macedonia to obtain a date to start long-awaited EU membership talks and to be invited to become a Nato member.
“With this agreement, European perspectives for the economic development of the country will be opened,” Zaev said.
“No FYROM anymore”
“There would be no FYROM anymore,” Zaev
said referring to the current international name for Macedonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, which is used by Greece and several other countries which so far have not recognised Macedonia under its constitutional name.
Skopje accepted the Greek demand for erga omnes, the use of the new name not only internationally but also at home, a move that the opposition in the country fiercely opposes.
The new name, which in Macedonian language
is Severna Makedonija, will be translated and will be incorporated into the Constitution with an amendment. The new name will make it clear that current Macedonia is not related to ancient Greece, allaying one of Athens’ chief concerns.
Zaev said that the signing of the agreement with Tsipras is expected to take place during the coming weekend or next Monday at the latest, most probably in Prespa, a Macedonian town near the Greek border.
After the signing, the Macedonian parliament will have to ratify the deal, following which Greece will send a letter to Nato to give the green light for its northern neighbour to be invited to become the 30th Alliance member, as well as to the European Council on the launch of EU accession talks.
Zaev expects that if the agreement is ratified
in the parliament, Macedonia will obtain a date to start EU talks during the European Council meeting at the end of June, and will be invited to become a Nato member in July this year.
Macedonia’s main opposition party and President Gjorge Ivanov are against the deal, with Ivanov walking out of a meeting with Zaev on the issue. Both VMRO and the president previously said that they are against egra omnes for the new name and constitutional changes.
The Macedonian prime minister used the occasion to call on all political figures and the public to sup- port the agreement as he said it “will guarantee sta- bility” and will open many economic opportunities.
The people to decide
The citizens of Macedonia will have the final say in the process, as a “yes” or “no” referendum on the new agreement will be called in the autumn.
Following the referendum and the constitutional changes, Greece should ratify the deal at the end of the year.
Zaev added that the agreement will strengthen the Macedonian national identity. Under the