End of an old conflict with Greece: Macedonia has changed its name

Macedonia officially changed its name Tuesday in North Macedonia, ending a long-standing conflict with neighboring Greece and ensuring the entry of the Balkan country into NATO.

A government statement said that the official name of the young country will now be the Republic of Macedonia of the North. The government plans to proceed gradually with a series of adjustments, ranging from new road signs to updating pbadports and coins. On Tuesday, he started doing this by modifying his website.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said that his country would make all the necessary changes to follow up on the historic agreement it had reached with the Greek Prime Minister last year.

"At the end of the day, we have to show that we are fulfilling our obligations," he said. "I think all institutions are ready to act."

Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov said the change put an end to a series of exchanges of diplomatic messages with Greece.

"Let's make today the beginning of a long friendship between Greece and North Macedonia," he said in a tweet. "We can not change our past, but we can and will shape our future of friendship, society and cooperation."

This name change resolves a dispute with Greece that dates back to the declaration of Macedonian independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991.

Athens has long argued that its neighbor's name implied a tacit claim from the province of Macedonia in northern Greece and Greek cultural heritage.

Although more than 130 countries have officially recognized this country as Macedonia, the United States and other international entities have preferred to use the name "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", a complicated pseudonym that Greece and Macedonia agreed by mutual agreement in 1995.