Macedonia Agrees to Change Its Name to End Bitter Dispute With Greece

Accord could pave the way for Macedonian membership in both NATO and the European Union, but nationalists in both countries pose a threat

Nektaria Stamouli and

Marcus Walker

June 12, 2018 12:23 p.m. ET

ATHENS—Greece and Macedonia agreed to rename the Balkan country “North Macedonia” in a breakthrough that could end a bitter 27-year-old dispute and pave the way for expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union.

The deal, reached on Tuesday in a phone call between Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev, calls for Greece to lift its longstanding veto over NATO and EU membership talks with its neighbor.

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