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THE "MACEDONIA OF THE NORTH" IS BORN, HISTORICAL SIGNATURE BETWEEN PROTESTS AND HOPES

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Psaridis  ||  | 17 June 2018
Iniziative (EN) - Maison de la Paix (EN)

"With the signature today of an agreement defined by everyone as 'historical', Macedonia and Greece have put an end to the dispute over the name of the former Yugoslav country, which will henceforth be called 'Republic of Macedonia of the North', after 27 years. A great joy - affirms President Michele Capasso - a dream cultivated since the beginning of the Fondazione Mediterraneo and strengthened with the visits of the Presidents of the former Yugoslav Republic: among all Kiro Gligorov".
The agreement - which will have to be ratified by the respective parliaments, and in Macedonia also by a popular referendum in the fall as well as amendments to the constitution - on the one hand eliminates the blockade of Athens on the way to Skopje EU and NATO, from another, however, is harshly opposed by conservative and nationalist oppositions in both countries, where daily protests are recorded, often marked by accidents and clashes with the police.
The official signing ceremony of the document on the name and a strategic partnership between Skopje and Athens took place this morning in Psaridis, on the Greek side of Lake Prespa, on the border between the two countries. A symbolic place which also has historical significance for the Macedonians because it was linked to the beginning of the partisan struggle for liberation from Nazi-fascism during the Second World War.