‘North Macedonia’ approved

Months after agreeing in principle to accept its neighboring nation's name change (Aug. '18, pg. 4), on Jan. 25 Greece's parliament narrowly approved an official endorsement of North Macedonia (Severna Makedonija) as the new name chosen for the Former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of Macedonia, despite resistance from many Greek citizens.

Greece has long argued that the name Macedonia was inappropriate, since the country did not have any relation to the Greek region of Macedonia, where Alexander the Great was born. North Macedonia had been known as the Republic of Macedonia while part of Yugoslavia, and it kept that name upon Yugoslavia's breakup.

Until this bilateral agreement, Greece had prevented North Macedonia from using the sole name "Macedonia" in international organizations, hence the FYR designation that had been included up until now.