Building Bridges or a Bridge Too Far? The "Macedonia" Name Agreement, and the Past, Present and Future of Greek Interstate Relations.

The “Macedonia” name issue has been a constant point of contention between Greece and the newly re-named Republic of North Macedonia, since the breakup of Yugoslavia. With the origins of the dispute stretching back to the Second World War, the “Prespa Agreement,” signed between the two Balkan neighbors in June 2018 (coming into force in February 2019) is hoped to be a new beginning in interstate relations in the Balkans. Through Prime Ministers Tspiras and Zeav have adopted warm facades in front of the cameras, significant opposition to the agreement domestically and abroad highlights the transnational / international legacy and implications of this dispute. In this lecture, Dr, Spero Paravantes will examine the history of the dispute over the name “Macedonia.” He will then explain the Prespa Agreement, some of the controversies surrounding it, and he will discuss the role played in the dispute (and in the agreement) by foreign diplomats. He will concluded with an assessment of the domestic and international implications of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), becoming the Republic of North Macedonia. (Link: http://events.berkeley.edu/index.php/calendar/sn/ies.html?event_ID=124978&date=2019-04-29&filter=Target/Open%20To%20Audiences&filtersel=) (Summary: https://ies.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/shared/docs/newsletters/IES%20Spring%202019%20News%20final.pdf)