Greece, Macedonia sign historic deal to end decades-long name dispute, but hurdles remain

Athens and Skopje have signed a preliminary agreement that resolves a longstanding dispute between the two nations over Macedonia’s official name. Since 1991, Greece has objected to its neighbor being called Macedonia as it has its own province of the same name. The deal envisages renaming the small Balkan nation as the Republic of North Macedonia. The agreement, hailed by the EU foreign policy head Federica Mogherini, faced fierce resistance in both countries. Greek protesters clashed with riot police as the deal was signed. The agreement has yet to be ratified by the Greek and Macedonian parliaments and must pass a referendum in Macedonia. Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov said he would use his veto to block the deal, according to media reports.