Macedonia Step Toward Joining NATO

Macedonia, which was created when Yugoslavia broke up, was invited to join the alliance in 2008, but its membership was vetoed by Greece, which already has its own province named Macedonia.

Athens claimed that the name made it sound like Macedonia the country has its eyes set on annexing Macedonia the province — or at the least was appropriating Greece’s historical heritage.

So Macedonia (the country) has now changed its name to North Macedonia.

Greece has “a new friend now in North Macedonia,’’ the renamed country’s President Zoran Zaev said after the name change became official on Friday.

Still, Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, leader of the right-wing Independent party, remains vehemently opposed. A Greek government spokeswoman said the timeline for possible NATO ratification will be clarified next week.

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