| Author (Person) | Rocha, Frederico |
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| Publisher | Cardiff EDC |
| Series Details | December 2017 to January 2018 |
| Publication Date | 25/01/2018 |
| Content Type | News |
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Further information: New rounds of official and unofficial negotiations kicked off following the announcement by Macedonian authorities that they wished to solve the issue so that the country could advance on its objectives of NATO and EU accession. + FYR Macedonia addresses naming dispute to relaunch EU and NATO bids Governments in both countries showed their optimism over the resolution of the dispute during 2018. The European Commission praised Macedonian authorities for engaging in discussions with Greece. On 21 January 2018, thousands of Greeks gathered in the country's northern city of Thessaloniki to march against the use of 'Macedonia' in another country's name. As a gesture to unlock the situation, Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said he was ready to change the name of the country's main airport, named after Alexander the Great. This historical figure was used by Macedonian authorities throughout the years to claim the heritage of the country's denomination, angering the Greeks. Background information: FYR Macedonia was granted EU candidate status in 2005 but never started accession talks, mostly due to a name dispute with Greece and a lack of political willingness to pursue economic reforms. Because of the same dispute, Greece blocked FYR Macedonia's bid to become a member of the NATO alliance in 2008. Greece considers the country's name represents a territorial claim over its northern province, also named Macedonia. Years of UN-mediated talks and pressure from the European Union achieved no progress. The dispute has been active ever since FYR Macedonia became an independent country. Media reports and commentary on the negotiations between Greek authorities and their counterparts from FYR Macedonia aiming at resolving a long-standing dispute over the latter country's name. |
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| Countries / Regions | Greece, North Macedonia |
