Athens, 17 June 2023 (MIA) — On June 17, 2018, in the small village of Nivici (or Psarades) on the Greek side of Lake Prespa, Skopje and Athens signed the Prespa Agreement, which closed the long-standing dispute between the two countries and introduced new perspectives in bilateral ties, MIA's Athens correspondent writes.

The landmark agreement, widely considered an example for peaceful dispute resolution, was signed by the then ministers of foreign affairs of North Macedonia and Greece, Nikola Dimitrov and Nikos Kotzias, in the presence of the then prime ministers Zoran Zaev and Alexis Tsipras, negotiations mediator Matthew Nimetz, former EU Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn, former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, and other senior international officials as well as representatives of both countries.

Eight months later, after it was ratified in the Parliaments of North Macedonia and of Greece, the Prespa Agreement officially entered into force on Feb. 12, 2019.

According to the agreement, the Republic of Macedonia was renamed the Republic of North Macedonia, with the citizenship being Macedonian / Citizen of the Republic of North Macedonia, and the language Macedonian.

The accord was preceded by negotiations that lasted for 27 years, often halted without any mutually acceptable solutions until the end of 2017. Then, the talks intensified after almost a three-year standstill and an agreement was reached.

The Prespa Agreement opened North Macedonia's path to NATO and the EU, with Greece becoming the country's ally and supporter. Bilateral relations considerably improved both at the political and at the economic level.

North Macedonia became the 30th member of NATO, and now Greek aircraft monitor Macedonian airspace.

Greece, despite its government changing a year after the accord was signed, has honored the Prespa Agreement.

The resolution of the name dispute normalized bilateral political relations, which entered a normal course, including regular and active communication, meetings and visits.

It resulted in the first official visit to Greece by a President of North Macedonia as well as the first official visit of Greek Prime Minister to the country.

In October 2021, President Stevo Pendarovski was the first head of state to visit Greece. He was welcomed with high honors in Athens.

Less than a year after the treaty was signed, in April 2019, the then Greek PM Tsipras visited Skopje to participate in the first high-level Cooperation Council.

Both former PM Zoran Zaev and PM Dimitar Kovachevski have visited Greece several times to attend various events in the country and meet with the most recent Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. mr/