RESHAPING NORTH MACEDONIA: THE NAME CHANGE AND THE PRESPA AGREEMENT

Апстракт

The Balkans have been a significant region in political history. Despite being a
small, mountainous country without a coastline, Macedonia’s territory has been a significant
region throughout history, attracting the attention of major powers due to its strategic
location. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991, Macedonia declared its independence.
During this period, Greece reacted strongly against the independence. In this context, North
Macedonia has been experiencing a name and other crisis. According to Greece, Macedonia
doesn’t have the territory to use this name, flag, and the national anthem. In addition, they
blame to Macedonia with appropriate to Greek cultural values as, Vergina Sun, Alexander
the Great. Also, the statue of Alexander the Great built in the center of Skopje, renaming
of Skopje airport to “Alexander the Great Airport,” and the description of the Thessaloniki
Tower on the Macedonian currency have all been perceived as provocative actions by Greece.
Greece identifies Macedonia’s historical and cultural heritage with its own identity, while
the presence of minorities also raises concerns. Additionally, the fact that the preamble
of the “Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia” states that the principles of the 1944
ASNOM Declaration are inherited and emphasizes that Macedonians living in the territories
of Greece and Bulgaria will be united under the Macedonian Socialist Republic, constitutes
one of the main reasons for Greece’s concerns. Greece has clearly opposed the use of the
name “Macedonia” by rejecting both the existence of the Macedonian minority living within
its borders and the recognition of the Macedonian nation. Greece has created international
pressure for the resolution of the name issue by blocking Macedonia’s NATO and European
Union membership process. After the discussions, the Prespa Agreement was signed in 2018
(Gounaris & Kofos, 2019).