The Issue of the Name of North Macedonia

Historical Background

The name issue arose in 1991 when the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia seceded from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and proclaimed its independence under the name "Republic of Macedonia".

Historically, the term "Macedonia" which, it should be noted, is a Greek word, refers to the Kingdom and the civilization of the Ancient Macedonians, who belong to the Hellenic nation, and constitute an indisputable part of the historical and cultural heritage of Greece.

Geographically, this term refers to a larger area spanning the present territory of various Balkan countries. Most of it is located in Greece, while other smaller parts of it are in North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Albania. The main body of Ancient Macedonia lies within the present Hellenic borders and occupies the northern part of the Greek territory. It has been historically called Macedonia and its current population amounts to about 2.5 million Greek citizens.

The roots of the name issue go back to the aftermath of World War II, when Marshal Tito separated the region that until then was called Vardar Banovina (i.e. the current Republic of North Macedonia) from Serbia, granted it the status of federal component of the then new Federal Yugoslavia, and renamed it initially "the People's Republic of Macedonia " and later "the Socialist Republic of Macedonia". At the same time, he began to cultivate the idea of a separate and distinct "Macedonian nation".

Certainly, Marshal Tito had many reasons to undertake these moves. His foremost intention was to establish the grounds for Yugoslavia's future territorial claims in the wider geographical region of Macedonia and to secure an exit into the Aegean Sea. Tito's aspirations in the greater area of Macedonia were already confirmed in 1944 when he announced publicly that his goal was to reunite "all parts of Macedonia that were broken apart in 1912 and 1913 by the Balkan imperialists".

In December 1944, a cable from the State Department to the US Authorities, signed by the then US Secretary of State, Edward Stettinius, stated, among other things, that: "The Government of the United States takes the view that references to a 'Macedonian Nation', a 'Macedonian Mother Homeland' or a   'Macedonian national conscience' are unjustified demagoguery, as they do not reflect any political reality. It detects in them the resurgence of a possible guise concealing underneath aggressive plans against Greece".

Against this historical backdrop, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia proclaimed its independence in 1991 by predicating its existence as an independent state on the artificial concept of the “Macedonian nation”.

Greece reacted strongly to the usurpation of its historical and cultural heritage and to the creeping territorial and irredentist claims of the new then country, and the question came before the UN Security Council. In the interest of peaceful and good neighbourly relations in the region, the Security Council passed two resolutions [817 (1993) and 845 (1993)] which made recommendations with a view to finding a swift solution to the name dispute and the remaining outstanding issues.

In 1993, upon the recommendation of the Security Council, and following the decision of the General Assembly, our neighbouring country was granted  membership in the United Nations under the provisional name of "the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", until an agreed solution was reached.

In 1995, the two countries signed the  Interim Accord, which imposed a binding "Code of Conduct". Based on Article 5 of the Interim Accord, the two parties began negotiations, under the auspices of the Secretary General of the United Nations, in order to reach an agreement on the name issue.

On 17 June 2018, Foreign Ministers N. Kotzias and N. Dimitrov signed in Prespa, in the presence of the Prime Ministers of the two countries, Tsipras and Zaev, and in the presence of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary General Mr. Nimetz, who acted as witness, the "Final Agreement for the settlement of the differences as described in the UN Security Council resolutions 817 (1993) and 845 (1993), the termination of the Interim Accord of 1995 and the establishment of a Strategic Partnership between the two Parties", which entered into force on 12.02.2019.

The conclusion of the Agreement was the result of intense negotiations which began during the meeting of the two Prime Ministers in Davos, on 24 January 2018. Later, they were conducted at Foreign Ministers’ level, with the mediation of Mr. Nimetz.

The renaming of the airport and the motorway by the Government of North Macedonia, in conjunction with Greece's key moves for the  transition to the 2nd Phase of the Stabilization and Association Agreement between the EU and its northern neighbor and the support for the latter's request to join the Adriatic & Ionian Initiative, on the basis of the agreement reached by the two Prime Ministers in Davos, together with the progress made in the pursuit of Confidence Building Measures, contributed to the creation of a climate of trust, which is indispensable for the conduct of negotiations based on good faith and open-mindness.

Besides, the 'antiquisation' project, the provocative actions of government officials and representatives of the neighbouring country (e.g. public use of the Vergina Sun, attendance at events with irredentist and revisionist overtones), and Skopje's conspicuous reluctance to engage in any kind of reasonable negotiation, in complete violation of Article 5 of the Interim Agreement, had made it crystal clear to the international community that it was impossible to find a solution to the naming dispute. This above-mentioned situation was reversed by the position of the Zaev Government.

The Final Agreement puts an end to the protracted naming dispute with the neighbouring country [the text of the agreement, in English (official text) and Greek]. In particular, the "Prespa Agreement" provides, among other things, the following:

The name of the country is "Republic of North Macedonia" and its short version is “North Macedonia”. It is a compound name with a geographical qualifier to the term "Macedonia", so as to distinguish it from the Greek region of Macedonia.

This name is for all uses and for all purposes, erga omnes. It is the new official name of the neighbouring country on international level, namely in all international, multilateral and regional Organizations, institutions and fora, and in all its relations with all the UN member states and UN observer states and within its interior [Articles 1 (5), 1 (8), 1 (9)]. The latter provision applies to all new official documents, correspondence and related material upon the Agreement’s entry into force. The planned transitional periods [Article 1 (10)] apply to documents that already existed before the entry into force of the Agreement (12.2.2019).

The Agreement refers to 'nationality', which is the legal bond between citizen and state. Following the entry into force of the Agreement, the words "citizen of the Republic of North Macedonia" shall be added to all travel documents of the neighbouring country, where citizenship is indicated, and the reference to the term 'nationality' is "Macedonian / citizen of the Republic of North Macedonia ' [Article 1 par. 3(b)].

As far as the language of neighbouring country is concerned, which is referred to as "Macedonian" in the Agreement, it is clearly stated that it belongs to the group of South Slavic languages. The Agreement stresses that the language of this country bears no relation to Greek Macedonia and to the ancient Hellenic Greek civilization, the history, culture and heritage of this region from antiquity to the present day.

According to the relevant provisions of the Preamble and of Articles 3, 4 and 6 of the Prespa Agreement,  the two Parties: a) Confirm the existing common frontier between the two countries as being a strong and inviolable international frontier, b) Underline the obligation of each Party to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of the other Party, c) undertake that nothing in their Constitution, as it is currently in force or as it will be amended in the future, can be interpreted as constituting or could ever constitute a ground for interference in the internal affairs of the other Party "in any form and for any reason, including for the protection of the status and rights of any persons that are not its citizens ”, d) undertake to take immediately effective measures to prohibit hostile activities, actions or propaganda by State services or services directly or indirectly controlled by the State, and to prevent activities that might incite chauvinism and hostility as well as irredentism and revisionism tendencies against the other Party. Each Party will also prevent and discourage actions, including propaganda, from private entities that might incite chauvinism and hostility, as well as irredentism and revisionism against the other Party. The Agreement not only includes provisions for the elimination of irredentism and revisionism on the part of the neighbouring country, but also related amendments to the Preamble of its Constitution and Article 3 and Article 49.

Renouncement, on the part of North Macedonia, of any claim of a relationship with Ancient Macedonia, and the Hellenic historical and cultural heritage. In Article 7 (4), the two Parties "note that the official language and other attributes of the Second Party (NB: of North Macedonia) bear no relation to the ancient Hellenic civilization, history, culture and heritage of the northern region of the First Party (NB: Hellenic Republic)". In particular, within six months of the entry into force of the Agreement, the other Party undertakes to revise the project of "antiquisation" (statues, buildings, names of public infrastructures, etc.), to ensure due respect towards the Hellenic historical and cultural heritage of Ancient Macedonia. It also undertakes to refrain from using again the Vergina Sun and to remove it from all public spaces and usages within six months.

The Agreement provides for the formation within a month after the signature of the Agreement, of a Joint Inter-Disciplinary Committee of Experts (JICE) on historical, archaeological and educational matters, which will also examine school textbooks and all school auxiliary material, in order to eliminate all irredentist and revisionist references (e.g. "Great Macedonia" maps). The JICE was formed on 17 July 2018, in accordance with the Agreement. The first meeting of the JICE took place in Thessaloniki on 2 November 2018.

Progress in the European integration process of North Macedonia depends on the fulfillment of the EU-set terms and conditions ("conditionality") laid down, as it is the case with for each candidate country, to EU membership, in the framework of the EU Enlargement Process and the Stabilization and Association Process between the EU and North Macedonia.

The Agreement also includes provisions to strengthen bilateral relations and to deepen bilateral cooperation in order to establish a strategic partnership between the two countries.

The Final Agreement entered into force on 12 February 2019, by exchange of notes verbales between the two Parties. As a result, the Interim Agreement of 1995, including the 'Practical Measures', ceased to apply. On 14 February 2019, North Macedonia sent a note verbale to all Member States and Observer States of the United Nations, as well as to all International Organizations, institutions and fora, requesting them to adopt and use the name and terminology of the Prespa Agreement.