Tsipras and Zaev Reach Historic Agreement: New Name is North Republic of Macedonia

ATHENS/SKOPJE, (Patria) - Greece and Macedonia have reached an agreement on the name of Macedonia after a 27-year dispute. The new name will be the Republic of North Macedonia, agencies report, BHRT reports.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras previously announced that an agreement had been reached with Macedonia on the name of the former Yugoslav republic, and a little later his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev announced that the new name of the country is "Republic of North Macedonia".

The agreement on this was reached by the Prime Ministers of Greece and Macedonia, Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev. Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said in an address to the nation that a final solution had been reached after a decades-long dispute. The agreement will be formalized this weekend, most likely on Saturday.

- We have a combined name, with geographical qualifications, for all uses - Tsipras said at a meeting with Greek President Prokopios Pavlopoulos, reports the Greek agency ANA.

The Prime Ministers of Greece and Macedonia, Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev, concluded a telephone conversation in the afternoon regarding the confirmation of the agreement on the new name of Macedonia.

The dispute over the name Macedonia has been a stumbling block in the relations between the two countries since 1991, when Macedonia seceded from the former Yugoslavia, declaring independence under the name Republic of Macedonia.

Greece, which has a northern province also called Macedonia and borders the former Yugoslav republic, opposed the name and demanded that it be changed.

The dispute has hampered Macedonia's attempts to join the European Union and NATO, a region where the two organizations are vying for influence with Russia.

Athens and Skopje were in a hurry to reach an agreement before the EU summit at the end of June, although any agreement requires a referendum in Macedonia and parliamentary approval in both countries. The NATO summit is scheduled for mid-July.

The agreement will be submitted for ratification to the Greek parliament only if Macedonia fulfills its part of the agreement, Tsipras claims, Reuters reports.