The foreign ministers of Greece and Macedonia have signed the agreement regarding Macedonia's name change to North Macedonia.

The prime ministers of both countries, Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev, also attended the ceremony held in Prespes, Greece, on the border with Macedonia.

On Tuesday, it became clear that the neighboring countries had agreed that Macedonia should change its name to North Macedonia, something that met with fierce criticism in each country.

The name dispute between the two neighboring countries has blocked Macedonia's application for membership in the defense alliance NATO and the EU. Greece has previously repeatedly threatened to veto it.

The conflict has been going on for decades, dating back to 1991 when Macedonia declared independence from the former Yugoslavia. Greece has opposed the name, fearing it could constitute a territorial claim on the Greek region of the same name.

When Macedonia was admitted as a member of the UN in 1993, it was under the name Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

Source: TT