Macedonian FM votes in naming referendum
120 views · Published 7 October 2018 · 1:15 · Indexed 23 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(30 Sep 2018) Macedonia's foreign minister Nikola Dimitrov has cast his vote in the crucial referendum on whether to change the country's name to North Macedonia, ending a decades-long dispute with neighbouring Greece and paving the way for NATO membership. Macedonians are deciding on Sunday whether they are "in favour of membership in NATO and European Union by accepting the deal between (the) Republic of Macedonia and Republic of Greece". Dimitrov said he hopes it will be a smooth democratic process. "We have an opportunity for the region to show that it can also produce future and not only history," Dimitrov said. The deal, made back in June, would end a dispute dating back to the early 1990s when Macedonia seceded from Yugoslavia. If the "Yes" vote wins, Macedonia will have to pass constitutional amendments through parliament before the deal faces ratification in Greece. Supporters of the deal, led by the prime minister, have focused on the vote as being the linchpin of the country's future prosperity, the key to its ability to join NATO and, eventually, the European Union. It would be a major step for a country that less than two decades ago almost descended into civil war, when parts of its ethnic Albanian minority took up arms against the government, seeking greater rights. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/cf1e63e93685e52f29f6e94ee822fd8f
