Daily Times

Athens protested immediately, accusing Skopje of stealing the name of its own northern province also called Macedonia.

The dispute stretches back nearly three decades, with both countries claiming links to Alexander the Great’s ancient empire of Macedon, which spanned the territories.

A grandiose “antiquisation” project under Macedonia’s former government that plastered Skopje with neo-classical facades and statues of Alexander the Great added fuel to the fire.

But in June Macedonia’s new premier Zoran Zaev and his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras reached a landmark compromise under which Greece would drop its objections to Macedonia joining the EU and NATO in return for the name change.

But a desire anchor their future to the West — and the economic prosperity that could bring — is a powerful motivation to accept the deal in one of Europe’s poorest countries.

“We cannot really say it is fair, but the EU and NATO matter more for all of us, so let’s move forward,” 28-year-old Abedin Memeti said ahead of the vote.

– Boycott –

The referendum is not binding, but a ‘yes’ majority would give parliament a political mandate to change the constitution.

Some critics of the name deal have been calling for a boycott, including President Gjorge Ivanov, who is allied with the nationalist opposition.

Massive emigration in recent decades could also affect the numbers, with nearly a quarter of the 2.1 million population estimated to live abroad.

Less than 3,000 of those overseas have signed up to vote.

– Western Balkans foothold –

Europe and the US have campaigned hard for the deal, with many leaders passing through Skopje to urge Macedonians to accept the “historic” opportunity.

NATO has already issued an invite — on hold until the deal passes — while EU accession talks are scheduled to begin next year.

The West is keen to have another foothold in the Western Balkans, a region where Russia, which is opposed to NATO expansion, has historically had influence.

A peace deal was reached later that year granting Albanians more political rights, but tensions have remained.

“This is the first time I am seeing Macedonians and Albanians campaigning together for common goals,” Besa Arifi, a law professor, told AFP.

“This will give us more opportunities to unite all citizens around shared values,” he added.