Greece OKS Macedonia name change, ending 28-year row

VERONA, Italy — One of Europe’s most enduring political disputes came to a formal end Friday, with Greece’s Parliament approving an agreement that allows Macedonia to change its name and eventually join NATO and the European Union.

The deal, approved in a 153146 vote, was the final step in a precarious seven-month process that has included street protests, nationalist opposition, alleged Russian attempts at interference and acrimonious paths to ratification in both countries.

Widely supported by the United States and EU leaders, the agreement calls for Macedonia to change its name to North Macedonia, while Greece, in exchange, drops long-held opposition that has prevented its neighbor from integrating more formally with Europe.

U.S. officials have said the deal has the chance to transform and stabilize the Balkans, a region that lags economically behind the rest of Europe and one where Russia battles with the West for influence. But polls indicate that nearly 7 in 10 Greeks oppose the accord, and many accuse Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of ramming through a deal that has won him acclaim from abroad.

The dispute over Macedonia’s name has burned for nearly three decades, since the country was formed during the breakup of Yugoslavia. The name issue had become a proxy for a wider debate over national identity in a region with a proud and deep history that dates to Alexander the Great.

The outcome Friday was cheered by pro-europeans as a rare victory for a continent dealing with the spread of nationalism and the chaos of Britain’s pending departure from the bloc. The vote was also a blow to Russia, which had allegedly tried to stoke opposition to the name deal with a disinformation campaign and by offering money and bribes.

Macedonia had already taken care of its end of the bargain, ratifying the deal.

Ancient Macedonia encompassed a broad area, and today a region of northern Greece is also known as Macedonia. Greece, before this vote, referred to its northern neighbor as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, or FYROM.