Macedonian members of parliament on Tuesday unanimously ratified an agreement to make their country a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

All 114 lawmakers present in the 120-seat parliament voted in favor, with none against or abstaining.

"By joining this alliance, we are not simply joining an international organization," Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski told lawmakers ahead of the vote. "Membership of the world's most powerful military-political alliance is a privilege, but also a huge responsibility.''

A NATO flag was raised in front of the parliament building during the short ceremony.

Name dispute

North Macedonia's entry into the world's most powerful military alliance had been blocked by Greece for a decade over a name dispute.

But Athens dropped its opposition after the former Yugoslav republic agreed to change its name to the Republic of North Macedonia.

The country was previously known as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, or simply Macedonia for short — a name it shared with a Greek province on its border, with both areas part of the historical region of Macedonia.

In return for renaming the country North Macedonia, Greece agreed to drop its objections to its neighbor joining NATO and the EU.

Read more: Macedonia-Greece name deal: What happens next?

Shape-shifting Macedonia Present day As well as Greece and North Macedonia, the geographic region of Macedonia extends into Albania, Bulgaria and Serbia as well as small areas of Kosovo (which you can't quite see here).

Shape-shifting Macedonia Greek origins The ancient kingdom of Macedonia – or Macedon – was a relatively small part of the present day Greek province of Macedonia. It first expanded under King Perdiccas I, then widened to take in other areas.

Shape-shifting Macedonia A Roman province After the fall of the Greek Empire, the Romans – who admired Alexander – used the old name Macedonia for the province encompassing much of northern Greece and the area north of it – including much of the modern-day North Macedonia.

Shape-shifting Macedonia A shift to the east With the breakup of the Roman Empire into East and West, this region was overrun by the Slavic invasions. An entirely new province far to the east, including part of Thrace in modern-day Turkey, was named Macedonia by the Byzantine Empress Irene of Athens.

Shape-shifting Macedonia Ottoman roots for current concept The geographic region known as Macedonia today roughly equates to the part of the Ottoman Empire known as Ottoman Vardar Macedonia. It included Greek and Slavic areas and was split into three administrative units, but the concept of Macedonia persisted. This remained the case for centuries and so this concept – of what Macedonia is – has stuck.

Shape-shifting Macedonia Let's put that all together... ...and there's certainly a fair bit of overlap — and room for confusion.

Shape-shifting Macedonia Small matter of empire Of course, Macedonia's King Alexander the Great's realm stretched all the way to India — but it would be a bit of a stretch to call that Macedonia

Shape-shifting Macedonia A heady mix of flavors As if it weren’t complicated enough, there’s another meaning of the word Macedonia. In Greece and many Latin-language-speaking countries, it’s also a fruit salad. The name is thought to have ben popularized at the end of the 18th century, referring to either the ethnic diversity of Alexander's vast empire or the ethnic mix of Ottoman Macedonia. Author: Richard Connor



Merkel to push for EU accession talks

The accession protocol must be ratified by all 29 NATO members. Spain is the only one that has yet to signal its approval. A ratification vote is expected to be held in the Spanish parliament next month.

North Macedonia and its neighbor to the west, Albania, hope to start membership talks with the European Union that were blocked in October by France and the Netherlands.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel last month said she would push for a start to European Union accession talks for North Macedonia and Albania.

"Above all, we want to reach an agreement at the next European Council in March to start accession negotiations with Albania, and also with North Macedonia," she told reporters in Berlin at a meeting with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, adding that their membership would also benefit the EU.

Read more: Opinion: NATO accession marks new chapter for a 'new' country

Watch video 05:39 Share President of North Macedonia in the DW studio Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3L3lj President of North Macedonia discusses EU membership chances with DW

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kw/msh (AP, dpa)