The Greek Foreign Ministry instructed its representatives and the public service in Greece about the rules it wants to be followed when referring to Macedonia, following the Prespa treaty. According to the list of rules, published by the Greek state news agency ANA MPA, Greek representatives are supposed to react when the Macedonian side or third parties use the word “Macedonian”, even though its use was supposed to be allowed under the treaty.

Greece will demand that, when referring to the Macedonian Government for example, or other institutions, the term “Government of the Republic of North Macedonia” or the “Government of North Macedonia is used”, not “Macedonian Government”. Greek repesentatives will protest or walk out if the short form is used, without the word “North”, and they will not sign or approve documents which contain the short form.

According to the Prespa treaty, the word “Macedonian” was approved for use by Macedonia, to refer to the Macedonian language, and also to the nationality, but in an extended form: Macedonian/citizen of the Republic of North Macedonia. Arguments over the use of the proper adjective were one of the defining features of the name issue and it appears they will not be fully resolved by the Prespa treaty.

The Ministry also decided to end the use of a regulation under which Macedonian citizens visiting Greece would have to use a separate sheet of paper issued by the Ministry, which contained Greek approved nomenclature, to substitute for the passports which bear the name Republic of Macedonia. Under the new rules, the Macedonian side stamps passports with a notification that these are “property of the Republic of North Macedonia”, pending the introduction into use of new passports which would identify the country as “Republic of North Macedonia”.