Greece–Republic of Macedonia relations

The Greek government is concerned by the insistence of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev on calling his country "Macedonia" following Greece's approval last week of the Prespes deal changing the country's name to North Macedonia, but is expecting a shift in stance when the change is formalized, Kathimerini understands. 

According to the Greek City Times, Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev are in the running for his prestigious award thanks to the signing of the Prespa Agreement.

The agreement, signed in June 2018, renames the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (whose constitutional name was "the Republic of Macedonia)") into "the Republic of North Macedonia."

Greek 10-year borrowing costs dropped to a four-month low on Monday after the country's parliament approved a deal last week that changes the name of neighboring Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), ending a 28-year row and thereby paving the way for a five-year bond sale.

There is normal traffic on all border checkpoints, Border Police said. As of 6.00 am, traffic is normal on the borders with Serbia, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey and Romania.

The United States welcomed on Friday the decision by Greece's Parliament to ratify the Prespes Agreement and end a long-standing dispute on the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

Main opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated on Friday evening his view that the Prespes accord will create more problems for Greece than it solves, during a talk at the annual Economist conference held in Athens.

US National Security Advisor John Bolton congratulated Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on Friday for completing the ratification of the Prespes deal that resolves an old disagreement between Athens and Skopje on FYROM's name.

"The United States supports this remarkable achievement that will promote stability and prosperity in the Balkans," he said in a tweet.

As a nation, we Greeks have the bad habit of allowing ourselves to become divided during especially difficult periods of our history, forgetting how many times this has led to tragedy.

Alternate Foreign Minister Giorgos Katrougalos signed the ratification law for the Prespes agreement which was approved by the Greek Parliament earlier on Friday.

"Greece leads in peace and stability in the Balkans and Europe. A new era for our relations with our neighbors," the minister said in a tweet.

The ratification of the agreement signed between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to end a decades-old name dispute by the Greek Parliament will usher in a new era of security in the Balkans, United Nations envoy Matthew Nimetz said on Friday, a few hours after lawmakers approved the deal.