This ends the MOC's 55 years of isolation, affirming North Macedonia's statehood and strengthening its identity. After the 2018 name deal with Greece, the North Macedonian leadership has thus resolved another bilateral issue that has long affected its relations with Serbia.
The Russian Orthodox Church might be among MOC's first recognisers, eager to point out the procedural difference with Ukraine's autocephaly.
The United States will support the independence of the new church, hoping it will decrease Serbian and Russian influence in the region.
Macedonian diasporas will rebel against the naming conditions set by the Ecumenical Patriarch and the restrictions on parishes abroad.
The autocephaly of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church will remain off limits.
