Greece–Republic of Macedonia relations

According to the Ukrainian news agency Unian, Poroshenko also said that Russia tried to prevent the entry of North Macedonia into NATO.

The leader of nationalist Independent Greeks (ANEL), Panos Kammenos, told deputy Thanassis Papachristopoulos on Thursday that if he does not give up his parliamentary seat by Friday he will be expelled from the party.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov on Wednesday signed an accession protocol at the alliance's Brussels headquarters, bringing the Balkan nation one step closer to joining NATO.

Greece's foreign ministry submitted to the parliament's national defense and foreign affairs committee on Wednesday evening a draft bill on the protocol that paves the way for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to join NATO under the name "Republic of North Macedonia."

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has taken a big step toward joining NATO after allies signed a key document that could see the tiny Balkans country become the 30th member of the world's biggest military alliance over the next year.

The name deal between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), which set the Balkan state on its path to NATO membership, will help revitalize the transatlantic alliance, the country's foreign minister Nikola Dimitrov has said, while calling the so-called Prespes accord "a second chance" for his generation.

The ratification of the Prespes agreement signals a new chapter for both Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), and also raises a series of questions regarding the future of the two countries. Here, we address some of these questions and attempt to provide some answers.

1. How does the agreement relate to FYROM's NATO bid?

The name "Macedonia" features in various forms in the brands of 182 Greek businesses across all sectors - with 39 in the food and agricultural sector - while over 4,000 businesses use the term to describe one or more of their products. The ratification of the Prespes deal between Athens and Skopje has raised questions about what the future hold for them.

Independent Greeks (ANEL) MP Thanasis Papachristopoulos did not give up his parliamentary seat on Friday, as he had announced a day earlier, after Parliament President Nikos Voutsis asked him to wait until lawmakers have voted on the NATO accession protocol for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) next week.

The Parliament of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) has rejected a diaspora group's request for a second referendum on a deal to rename the country North Macedonia in exchange for NATO and potentially European Union membership.