SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) — Campaigning officially began in Macedonia on Monday for a Sept. 30 referendum on changing the country's name, a move which would allow the Balkan country to qualify for NATO membership and also pave its way toward the European Union. Macedonians will vote on a proposal to change the former Yugoslav republic's name to North Macedonia, in a bid to end a long-running dispute with neighbor and NATO member Greece which saw use of the term "Macedonia" as a claim on its own province of the same name. The proposed change met with fierce criticism in the two countries, with opponents on both sides accusing their governments of conceding too much to the other country.
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