Background:
International recognition of The Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia's (F.Y.R.O.M.) independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 was
delayed by Greece's objection to the new state's use of what it
considered a Hellenic name and symbols. Greece finally lifted its
trade blockade in 1995, and the two countries agreed to normalize
relations, despite continued disagreement over F.Y.R.O.M.'s use of
"Macedonia." F.Y.R.O.M.'s large Albanian minority, an ethnic
Albanian armed insurgency in F.Y.R.O.M. in 2001, and the status of
neighboring Kosovo continue to be sources of ethnic tension.