by nationalist party VMRO-DPMNE, claimed that there is an ethnic Macedonian minority numbering up to 750,000 in Bulgaria and 700,000 in Greece. The idea of a united Macedonia under communist rule was abandoned in 1948 when the Greek communists lost in the Greek Civil War, and Tito fell out with the Soviet Union and pro-Soviet Bulgaria. In its first resolution, VMRO-DPMNE, the nationalistic governing party at the time of the then-Republic of Macedonia, adopted the platform of a "United Macedonia", an act that has annoyed moderate ethnic Macedonian politicians and has also been regarded by Greece as an intolerable irredentist claim against Greek Macedonia. Before and just after independence, it was assumed in Greece that the idea of a united Macedonia was still state-sponsored. In the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia, adopted on 17 November 1991, Article 49 read as follows: (1) The Republic cares for the status and rights of those persons belonging to the Macedonian people in neighbouring countries, as well as Macedonian expatriates, assists their cultural development and promotes links with them. (2) The Republic cares for the cultural, economic and social rights of the citizens of the Republic abroad. On 13 September 1995, the Republic of Macedonia signed an interim accord with Greece in order to end the economic embargo Greece had imposed, among other reasons, for the perceived land claims. Among its provisions, the Accord specified that the Republic of Macedonia would renounce all land claims to neighbouring states' territories. The United Macedonia concept was still found among official sources in North Macedonia, and taught in schools through school textbooks and through other governmental publications. See also Macedonian nationalism Autonomy for Macedonia and Adrianople regions Independent Macedonia Independent Macedonia (1944) Vardar Macedonia Macedonia naming dispute Macedonia (terminology) Demographic history of Macedonia History of North Macedonia Titoism References Macedonian nationalism Macedonia Nationalism in North Macedonia Modern history of Greek Macedonia