Macedonia: Any new country name to be put to a referendum

SKOPJE, Macedonia — Macedonia’s prime minister said Wednesday that any new name for his country that is agreed with neighbouring Greece will be put to a referendum to be held later this year.

Zoran Zaev said Skopje and Athens have never been closer to reaching an agreement over Macedonia’s name, which has been the subject of a decades-long dispute

Macedonia’s government has committed to modifying the republic’s name to address Greek concerns that the current one implies territorial claims on the northern Greek province of the same name. In return, Athens has promised to lift its objections to Macedonia’s NATO and European Union membership.

Zaev said a referendum on whatever solution is found will be held in September or October, and that both countries’ parliaments will have had to ratify the deal beforehand.