WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced a bipartisan resolution on Wednesday to support the name agreement between Macedonia and Greece, and warn against Russian interference.

In June, Prime Ministers Tsipras and Zaev came together to seal a historic agreement that settled a decades-old name dispute. If ratified, this would pave the way for the Republic of North Macedonia to join NATO and the EU, eliminating a vulnerable gap in the western Balkans and decreasing opportunities for Russian meddling. Russia has been caught trying to build opposition to undermine the agreement, and Greece has retaliated by banning four Russian diplomats from the country.

“The historic agreement reached between the governments in Athens and Skopje should be celebrated as a diplomatic breakthrough,” said Murphy. “Putin will stop at nothing to foster divisions between countries in Europe and the Balkans. This agreement helps set the stage for a stronger NATO and EU, and we must now work together to show Russia that its illegal interference in other countries’ affairs won’t work.”

“I applaud Macedonia and Greece for coming to an agreement that resolves the name dispute and allows Macedonia to move forward and join NATO. This is a positive development, not only for these two nations, but for the region as a whole,” said Johnson.

Joining Murphy and Johnson on the resolution are their colleagues U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Jim Risch (R-Idaho).

The full text of the resolution can be viewed here.

 

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