The Macedonia Name Dispute

The dispute over the name of Macedonia has been going on for centuries. The Greek Parliament has approved the name Republic of North Macedonia for its neighbouring country, by a narrow 153-146 margin, despite significant opposition from sections of the Greek public. The referendum, which followed a vote in the Macedonian Parliament before this, resolved a dispute between Greece and its northern neighbour. On the other hand, the Macedonian government insists that it should be called The Republic of Macedonia because it claims that it is the legitimate successor to the ancient kingdom of Macedonia. Did you know that there was a time when Macedonia was called something else entirely? Read further to know more about the history of Macedonia!

So why did Macedonia change its name? 

Macedonians, an ethnic group native to the region, argue that they should not be denied their right to self-determination based on a historical claim from a different country. Instead, they feel that this dispute can only be resolved by bilateral negotiation with the Greek state and its citizens. The Republic of Macedonian Empire officially changed its name to the Republic of North Macedonia. The new name, which Parliament approved, is part of a deal that would end a longstanding dispute with Greece.

Greece and the Republic of Macedonia have escalated a simmering dispute over the name of the tiny Balkan nation since it declared independence from Yugoslavia. In addition to Greece, hard-line nationalists in the Macedonian capital Skopje also oppose any compromise with Athens that might imply an ethnic or cultural link between them. While the struggle started in the early 1990s, it opened a new side, when in 2014, the Republic of Macedonia applied for membership in the European Union (E.U.). However, the country failed to benefit from the self-belief of the Greeks, who objected because the call ‘Macedonia’ implied a territorial declaration upon the province via means of the identical call inside Greece. 

Macedonia voted to change its name to North Macedonia to resolve a decades-old dispute with Greece. It basically paves the method for it to join the E.U. as well as NATO.

The proposal was approved. Now the country is known as the Republic of  North Macedonia for domestic and international use. The change is part of a deal to resolve a longstanding dispute with Greece over the name, which Athens saw as unacceptable due to potential territorial claims on its northern region, also called Macedonia. The decision to change the name of the country requires deep reflection, understanding and careful thought. Many people in Greece have mixed feelings about this issue.

An Obstacle Added: Politics Within Greece

A new name means a new identity. The new name, which the European Union and NATO have backed as a way to end one of the longest-running disputes in the Balkans, was agreed upon. But it has caused anger among Greeks who see the name Macedonia — shared with seceding from their country’s northern region — as a usurpation of their history and identity. The Macedonian government has been trying to change their name since 1991. Macedonia is the northernmost country in the Balkans, with its borders stretching from Greece and Bulgaria to Serbia, Albania and Kosovo. The Republic of Macedonia became independent when it seceded from Yugoslavia in 1991.

The name Republic of North Macedonia was approved by the Greek parliament following a vote by the country’s government that paved the way for a crucial referendum on the change. The move was approved by 153 out of 300 MPs in Athens, with 146 voting against and 11 abstaining. The decision came after the Greek Foreign Ministry announced it would allow citizens living abroad to participate in the referendum.

Conclusion 

The name change, which has been under negotiation for more than two decades and was approved by the Macedonian Parliament in February, is a key step for Greece’s northern neighbour to join NATO and the European Union. In June 1963, The People’s Republic of Macedonia was renamed the Socialist Republic of Macedonia. Macedonian Empire was a kingdom situated in the northern part of Greece. The Republic of North Macedonia has been officially renamed by its Parliament.