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THESSALONIKI: Greece unveiled a new export trademark for products from its northern region of Macedonia, to counter competition from neighbouring North Macedonia.

“We now have a protective umbrella for our products,” said Giorgos Konstantopoulos, head of the association of northern Greek exporters, adding that the trademark was designed to address the “negative effects” of a 2018 agreement under which Greece solved a long-running name dispute with its northern neighbour.

The former Yugoslav republic last year entered into a historic compromise with the previous Greek leftist administration to rename itself as North Macedonia after a 27-year diplomatic wrangle.

The agreement was ratified by Greece’s parliament in January. Conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who won elections in July, had strongly campaigned against the deal whilst in opposition, labelling it “harmful” to the Greek region of Macedonia.

Macedonia was the cradle of Alexander the Great’s ancient empire, a source of intense pride for Greeks. Greece also fought the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria over the region in the early 20th century.

Accordingly, the logo unveiled Thursday is titled ‘Macedonia the Great’.

Mitsotakis said the trademark would be registered with EU authorities to create “an identity reflecting our glorious past, but also confidently forging a path to a brighter future.”

The move “will henceforth distinguish products grown in Macedonian soil”, Mitsotakis said. – AFP