Macedonian government agrees to change the country's name

The government of Macedonia has struck an agreement with Greece to change the country’s name, bringing an end to a long‑running dispute between the two nations.

Greece has long objected to the use of the name Macedonia because it was shared by the ancient Greek kingdom ruled by Alexander of Macedon and is also used by an adjacent Greek region.

Under the deal the country’s name would be changed to the Republic of Northern Macedonia, to reflect the existence of the Greek region of Macedonia on the other side of the border and the cultural claim Greeks see over it.

The name would be used both internally by the government and externally when conducting foreign affairs.

As a result of Greece’s objections Macedonia was only admitted to the UN under the provisional name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia after it gained its independence in 1991 from the break‑up of Yugoslavia.

Successive Greek governments have threatened to block Macedonia’s entry to the European Union and Nato under its original constitutional name.

Source:Independant.co.uk