The Parliament in Athens will vote on Friday afternoon on an agreement for the settlement of the nearly three-decade-long name dispute between Greece and Macedonia. Originally, the vote for Thursday night was planned. As President of the Parliament, Nikos Voutsis said on TV, there are still many members who wish to submit comments. A total of 205 parliamentarians had asked. By Thursday afternoon, only about half have spoken, it said.
The agreement provides that Greece is the Northern neighbor in the future, Republic of Macedonia, but his name in Northern Macedonia (Slav: Severna Makedonija and English: Republic of North Macedonia).
The Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, had agreed last year with his Macedonian colleague, Zoran Zaev, in spite of great internal political resistance in both countries, the name dispute. Greece said a rapprochement with his Northern neighbours of the EU and the Nato accession not to want to continue to block.
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Greece and Macedonia Only a stage victory in the name dispute
Thomas Roser
In Greece, Conservatives and nationalists, is not enough to change the name, because a Northern Greek province is called Macedonia. They criticize that, in future, the international Macedonian language and a Macedonian Nation would be recognized. (dpa)
