The fight over the Macedonian name has moved to Google Earth, where institutions such as the Macedonian National Theater are being renamed into the North Macedonian National Theater. Hardest hit so far is the Macedonian Radio Television – known by the abbreviation MRT. If renamed North Macedonian Radio Television – Severna Makedonska Radio Televizija in Macedonian, would mean that its abbreviation turns into SMRT, which means death.
The Foreign Ministry prepared media guidelines, which should presumably apply to Google Earth as well, in which it is declared that the adjective for the country and the nationality remains Macedonian. Some Government institutions should be renamed into the “Government of the Republic of North Macedonia”, but under the guidelines institutions such as the Macedonian Radio Television should be able to keep their name. The Greek side has not signed on to this guideline and prepared a guideline of its own, and there are gray areas between the two.
Officially, the only non-Governmental institution which has changed its name so far is the National Bank, which is now the National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia.
Comments are closed for this post.