2018 saw the settlement of one of the most ridiculed disputes in international politics
- the so-called Macedonia Name Issue.
However, behind what seemed like a frivolous issue there was actually a serious problem.
For 25 years, the issue disrupted relations between Greece and its northern neighbor,
which in turn prevented Macedonia from joining NATO and from starting membership talks with
the European Union.
But what exactly was the name issue all about? And how was it resolved?
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Hi. Welcome to Independent Thinking.
A channel dedicated to statehood independence and the origins of countries.
My name is James Ker-Lindsay.
The Macedonian name issue came to be seen as one of the stranger disputes in modern international politics.
To many observers, it verged on the absurd.
Two countries at loggerheads over a name.
And yet after a quarter of a century it was finally resolved in 2018.
So, what was it all about? And how was it resolved?
Like so many other conflicts, the issue had deep historical roots.
However, the dispute formally emerged in the early 1990s with the collapse of Yugoslavia.
As the country dissolved, a number of new states emerge from its constituent republics.
The most southerly of these was Macedonia, which declared independence on December 8, 1991.
Almost immediately, Greece objected to the name.
Lying immediate to the country's south, the Greek government argued that the new state
was usurping the name and that it also intended to claim sovereignty over the Greek province of Macedonia.
Matters were not made easier by the fact that the newly independent Republic of Macedonia had also adopted a
number of symbols linked to the ancient Hellenistic region of Macedonia.
The Greek government successfully lobbied its other European partners to take its side on the issue.
As a result, when the country applied to be admitted to the United Nations,
the Security Council recommended that it join under a provisional name
- the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
otherwise shortened to FYROM.
It joined the UN as the 181st member on April 8, 1993.
Although it was admitted to do an under a provisional name - the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia -
in the years that followed many countries chose to recognize it under its constitutional name
- the Republic of Macedonia.
Meanwhile, the United Nations attempted to broker a final agreement between the sides.
In 1995, the two countries reached an interim agreement.
The Macedonian government agreed to change many of the most contentious symbols of the state.
For its part, the Greek government agreed not to obstruct Macedonia's membership
of various international organizations.
However, in the two decades that followed, no progress was made on actually resolving the issue.
In fact, tensions steadily got worse as Greece blocked the country's efforts to join NATO
and the European Union and the Macedonian government began to make more claims
to the country's ancient Greek heritage.
So, what made the issues so difficult to solve?
While many thought it was just about the name of the country, there were in fact three aspects to the problem.
The first was the name itself.
While Greece would have preferred that the name Macedonia be abandoned completely,
it was obvious that this would not be acceptable.
Instead, some form of qualifier would have to be used.
From early on, several options stood out.
Almost from the start, the favorite was Republic of New Macedonia.
However, other widely discussed options included Republic of Upper Macedonia
and Republic of Northern Macedonia.
The second issue concerned the adjective that would be used for the country.
Interestingly, this was actually the toughest part of the problem.
This was because it touched on the most important elements of national identity.
Many people in Macedonia could accept a change to the name of the country.
However, they were adamantly opposed to the idea of then having to call themselves
'New' or 'Upper Macedonians'.
Likewise, the idea that they would speak 'New Macedonian', or whatever the country would be called,
was seen as a step too far.
The third and final aspect of the problem centred on the circumstances in which the name would be used.
The Macedonian government wanted to have two names.
The new name would be used in international organizations, such as the United Nations,
and by any countries that had not recognized it already as the Republic of Macedonia.
However, those countries that had already recognized it under its constitutional name, would continue to do so.
At the same time, the country would continue to use the name Republic of Macedonia internally.
Greece vehemently opposed this.
It argued that the new name must be used in all circumstances, both nationally and internationally.
There could not be a dual system.
To use the Latin term, the name would be 'erga omnes' - it would have to be used towards all.
In fact, on this final issue, the Greek government was on fairly solid ground.
The idea of having two official names would pose all sorts of problems.
For example, which would be used on international treaties if one country recognized the new name
and another the old one?
There had to be one internationally accepted name.
Of course, this does not mean there couldn't be a formal and an informal name.
Many countries work under two names.
Ironically, Greece is a perfect example of this.
While we all know it as Greece, its official name is actually the Hellenic Republic.
The major breakthrough came in 2017 with the change of government in Macedonia.
The new administration was determined to see the country join NATO and the European Union.
However, this was not possible given Greek objections.
A settlement was needed.
At the same time, the Greek government also recognized that the issue had to be resolved.
Over the course of the first half of 2018, intensive discussions were held between the sides.
And, on June 17, 2018, the two governments signed an agreement at a ceremony on the shores of Lake Prespa,
which lay between their two countries.
According to the terms of the agreement, the country would be renamed the Republic of North Macedonia.
It's worth emphasizing that the english-language version name is officially and correctly North Macedonia,
and not 'northern Macedonia'.
Regarding the adjective, a neat solution was found.
The country's language would remain Macedonian,
but it would be noted, where appropriate, that it is a Slavic language.
Likewise, while officially the inhabitants of the country would be listed as citizens
of the Republic of North Macedonia,
informally they could continue to call themselves Macedonians.
Additionally, the Prespa Agreement, as the deal was known, recognized the distinct Greek and Slavic
historical heritage of the country.
In order to come into force, the Macedonian Constitution needed to be amended to reflect the changes.
This was completed by the start of 2019, at which point Greece ratified the agreement as well.
On February 14, 2019, the United Nations announced that it had officially been informed of the name change
by the sides and the switch had taken place.
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was now the Republic of North Macedonia.
So that was the Macedonian name issue, and how it was solved.
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