Resolution of Macedonian Naming Dispute on the Horizon

In Southwestern Europe, between Greece and Serbia, lies the Republic of Macedonia, or, as NATO, the United Nations and the European Union call it, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. This small southern Slavic nation of two million inhabitants’ rather large and cumbersome name stems from a heated and historic dispute with its southern neighbour, Greece.

The term ‘Macedonia’ has been fluidly used throughout history; since the formal end of the Kingdom of Macedon in 148 B.C., the geographical region bearing the name has fluctuated depending on its owner. Under the Romans, it included all of the modern FYROM, the modern Greek provinces of Thessaly and Epirus and a majority of Albania. The Byzantine théma of Macedonia included only ~17% of the total area of the three modern Greek provinces which bear its name and excludes the modern FYROM. The Ottomans identified Macedonia, under the name of Salonica (an old name for the city of Thessaloniki), first as an eyalet only in the modern Greek provinces of Thessaly and Epirus, then later as a vilayet, which included the modern FYROM. They would be the last imperial rulers of Macedonia; as Ottoman rule weakened, revolutionary organisations sprouted, including Slavs, Romanians, and Greeks, which espoused an independent Salonica vilayet, under the name Macedonia, being the basis for the modern Macedonian identity and name.

Since Macedonian independence in 1945, both Greece and Bulgaria have maintained that the use of the name ‘Macedonia’ constitutes a territorial claim on geographical Macedonia encompassing Greek and Bulgarian territory. Claims have also been made that Macedonian use of the name, as well as of ancestralient Macedonian symbols, such as the Vergina Sun on the original Macedonian flag, are attempts to appropriate Greek culture. These concerns were only exacerbated during the period between 2006 and 2017 when the ruling Macedonian nationalist party, the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization – Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE), lead a policy of “antiquization”. Macedonian landmarks, streets, and important public centres were renamed after ancient Macedonian figures such as Alexander the Great or Philip II. This policy was met with widespread condemnation, both from Greece and from within the FYROM. Macedonians felt they were being distanced from their Slavic roots and ethnic Albanians in western Macedonia felt further marginalised. Due to all of these conflicts between the two states, Macedonian accession to NATO and the EU have been continuously opposed and delayed by Greece.

In the 2016 parliamentary election, the VMRO-DPMNE lost a significant number of seats and failed to form government. Instead, the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia, formed government with Zoran Zaev as Prime Minister. On the 12th of June, this year, Zoran Zaev and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met on Lake Prespa and signed an agreement, Macedonia’s official name for all purposes would be changed to the Republic of North Macedonia, the Vergina Sun would be removed from public use and history textbooks would be revised. Meanwhile, Greece would cease to block Macedonian membership in NATO and the EU. However, the issue is still a contentious on within the country. A referendum on the matter was held on the 30th of September, which was overwhelmingly positive -- at a 38% turnout, less than enough to be considered valid, as the VMRO-DPMNE encouraged its supporters to boycott the referendum. However, as of the 15th of October, the Macedonian Parliament has started to begin debate whether to adopt the constitutional amendment necessary to finalise the deal. This could potentially bringing an end to this decades-old dispute, finally allowing Skopje to truly integrate into the global community.