The Greek parliament ratified the Macedonian name deal on January 25 following three days of heated debate, a move that will enable Greece’s tiny northern neighbour to join Nato and to launch EU accession talks later this year.
According to the Prespa deal, signed in June 2018 under the auspice of the UN, Macedonia will be renamed North Macedonia to make a distinction with the Greek northern province with the same name. The deal will solve a 27-year dispute between the two countries and one of Europe’e most obstinate conflicts.
153 MPs in the 300-seat Greek parliament voted for the deal in a tense session, while 146 were against. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was visibly contented with the outcome of the vote, a live TV broadcast showed.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras wrote on his Facebook page: “Today we are writing a new page for the Balkans. The hatred of nationalisms and conflicts is giving the way to friendship, peace and cooperation.
“North Macedonia that was born today will be a friendly country, an ally and supporter of Greece in its efforts for security, stability and development in the region,” Tsipras said.
Parliament speaker Nikos Voutsis hailed the vote as “historic”, saying that the session on the name deal, which clocked more than 38 hours, was the longest held in recent history, beating even some of the thornier debates related to Greece’s international bailouts, Kathimerini reported. 200 MPs spoke during the debate that started on January 23.