SKOPJE, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Macedonia and Greece have come up with a final deal after a long process of negotiations to solve the name dispute, Macedonian Prime Minster Zoran Zaev confirmed Tuesday at a press conference.
Under the agreement reached, Zaev said the name to be used both internationally and bilaterally would be the Republic of North Macedonia.
This agreement, according to Zaev, needs to be further regulated in line with an amendment to the constitution.
Moreover, Zaev added that through this agreement, the Macedonian language would be recognized in the United Nations and its people would be known as Macedonian citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia.
"The agreement reached between the two countries reaffirms and enhances the Macedonian ethnicity, cultural identity, language and nationality, as well as guarantees the security of the country," said Zaev during the press conference.
Moreover, Zaev assured that the deal would be presented to all political shareholders, signed by officials of the two governments, followed by a ratification in Parliament.
On May 30, Zaev declared that Macedonia would hold a referendum on the name deal with Greece when both countries reached an agreement.
Macedonia is formally called the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) by the United Nations. Macedonia is also the name of a northern province in Greece. Athens is worried that the use of the same name by the neighboring state could lead to territorial claims.
The solving of the name row that has existed between two countries is seen as the main obstacle Macedonia has to overcome in order to make progress towards European Union (EU) and NATO integration.
