More than 1,000 Macedonians protest name deal with Greece

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More than 1,000 Macedonians protested on Saturday evening against the change of the name of the former Yugoslav Republic which was agreed with neighboring Greece to end a decades-long dispute.

Last week the foreign ministers of Greece and Macedonia signed an accord to rename the tiny ex-Yugoslav republic the "Republic of North Macedonia."

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June 17, 2018: Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev (L) welcomes Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on the shore of the Lake Prespa near Otesevo. /VCG Photo

The agreement, which unlocked Macedonia's path to possible European Union and NATO membership, triggered protests by nationalists.

The protest on Saturday evening organized by Macedonia's biggest opposition party, VMRO-DPMNE, was peaceful. Protesters held banners reading "We don't want to give up the name" and waved Macedonian flags as they demanded the annulment of the agreement with Greece.

June 13, 2018: Protestors shout slogans against the change of the country's constitutional name in front of the Parliament building in Skopje, Macedonia. /VCG Photo

Macedonia, which declared its independence in 1991, avoided the wars that battered some other ex-Yugoslav republics. But Greece refused to accept the country's name, saying it implied territorial claims on the Greek province of Macedonia and amounted to an appropriation of its ancient civilization.

Greece blocked Macedonia's efforts to join the EU and NATO. Macedonia has to amend its constitution to conform with the provisions of the deal. A referendum is also expected in Macedonia in the autumn.

(Cover: Demonstrators sing the national anthem in front of the parliament building in Skopje on June 23, 2018 during a protest against the new name of the country, the Republic of North Macedonia. /VCG Photo)

(With input from Reuters)