The historic agreement of 17 June signed between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Fyrom) ends a dispute that had been festering for the last 25 years (Report, 19 June). It defines the political, historical and cultural boundaries between classical Greek Macedonia and – as of now – North Macedonia, by making it clear Macedonian identity can be shared between people who endow it with different meanings. It respects the dignity and the right to self-determination of the two peoples and confirms the desire of both countries for peaceful coexistence.

Each side has had to address the concerns of the other. For Greece, the geographical designation in the compound new name (North Macedonia), its application domestically and internationally, and the requirement that the constitution of Fyrom be amended accordingly. For North Macedonia, acceptance of the existence of a Macedonian language as part of the Slavic family of languages (a fact long recognised by the UN and Greece), the designation of the nationality as Macedonian/citizens of North Macedonia and, crucially, the promise of starting accession negotiations to Nato and the EU.

When completed, this legally binding international agreement will have resolved an issue of contested political identity, so common in multicultural societies, and will offer a model for future resolution of other protracted conflicts.

But the agreement still faces big hurdles in both countries, where hardliners and extremists are mobilising against it. North Macedonia’s government, in particular, desperately needs for all parties to fulfil their promise if it is to win the ratifying referendum in the autumn.

In these critical times, when Europe faces the rise of extreme rightwing nationalism and racism, and dangerous revisionisms are resurfacing in the Balkans and Europe dividing people into “traitors” and “patriots”, it is more important than ever to support those who take risks for reconciliation. We support this fair agreement and call on all parties to fulfil their end of the bargain.

Kalypso Nicolaïdes University of Oxford

Etiennne Balibar Université deParis-Ouste

Toni Negri Philosopher, Paris

Mary Kaldor University of London

Costas Douzinas Birkbeck, University of London

Judith Butler University of California, Berkeley

Jean Luc Nancy Philosopher, Strasbourg

Barbara Spinelli Member of the European parliament

Wendy Brown University of California, Berkeley

Joanna Bourke Birkbeck, University of London

Luciana Castellina Rome

Frieder Otto Wolf Freie Universität Berlin

Catherine Malabou Kingston University

Claude Calame EHESS, Paris

Bo Stråth University of Helsinki

Susan Buck-Morss City University of New York

Sandro Mezzadra University of Bologna

Patrice Maniglier Université Paris Nanterre

Elsa Stamatopoulou Columbia University

Niccolo Milanese European Alternatives

Giacomo Marramao Roma Tre University in Rome

Edouard Delruelle Université de Liège

Peter Schöttler Freie Universität Berlin

Ulrike Guérot Danube University Krems, Austria

Ahmet Insel Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne

Philippe Büttgen Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne

Yves Sintomer Université Paris 8 Vincennes Saint-Denis, CSU-Cresppa

Emily Apter New York University

Oscar Guardiola-Rivera Birkbeck, University of London

Albena Azmanova University of Kent

Louis Wolcher University of Washington

Jean-Numa Ducange University of Rouen

Michal Kozlowski University of Warsaw

José Luis Villacañas Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Gilles Manceron Historian, Paris

Diogo Sardinia Paris University

Bertrand Ogilvie Université Paris 8 Vincennes Saint-Denis

Yves Sintomer Université Paris 8 Vincennes Saint-Denis

Franck Fischbach Univesite de Strasbourg

Teresa Pullano University of Basel

Matthieu de Nanteuil University of Louvain

Pietro de Matteis University of Cambridge

Guillaume Sibertin-Blanc Université Paris 8 Saint-Denis

Stefan Jonsson Linköping University

Manuela Bojadzijev University of Berlin

Rada Ivekovic College International de Philosophie, Paris



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