Remain a strange republic (7)
I believe the answer is:
armenia
'republic' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'remain a strange' is the wordplay.
'strange' is an anagram indicator.
'remain'+'a'='remaina'
'remaina' with letters rearranged gives 'ARMENIA'.
(Other definitions for armenia that I've seen before include "Mountainous republic bordering Turkey" , "Landlocked country, an Asian soviet before 1991, capital Yerevan" , "Republic formerly in the USSR" , "Former Soviet republic of south-east Europe, capital Yerevan" , "Country in the Caucasus, capital Yerevan" .)