Greece, Macedonia push forward to end name dispute
The two countries have decided to sign the agreement on Sunday but protests have broke in both sides. In Greece, the New Democracy party has called for a vote of no-confidence against the government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras addresses lawmakers during a parliamentary session ahead of a debate on a motion of no confidence by the main opposition in row over a deal on neighbouring Macedonia's name, in Athens, Greece, June 14, 2018.
Greece and Macedonia will sign an accord on Sunday to change the name of the former Yugoslav republic, the Greek government's press ministry said on Friday as the governments of both countries faced mounting opposition at home over the deal.
The accord would be signed in the Prespes region, a lake district which borders Greece, Macedonia and Albania by the two countries' foreign ministers, the ministry said in a statement to media.
It gave no more precise location or time for the signing.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his counterpart Zoran Zaev, who will also be in attendance, have agreed the country will officially be called the "Republic of North Macedonia".
It is currently known formally at the United Nations under the interim name "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia".
The deal has triggered fierce opposition in both countries. The Macedonian president has vowed to block the accord, and in Greece, opposition has mounted a no-confidence vote against Tsipras in parliament.
Athens has long objected to its northern neighbour's use of the name 'Macedonia', saying it implies territorial claims on a northern Greek province of that name and amounts to appropriation of Greece's ancient cultural heritage.
The accord requires ratification by national parliaments and must pass a referendum in Macedonia.
Women hold a Greek flag as they take part in a demonstration in Athens on June 15, 2018 against the agreement reached to resolve a 27-year name row with Macedonia has kicked up a political storm in Greece.
In the meantime, Greeks opposed to the deal kicking off a three-day series of protests as lawmakers debated a censure vote against the government.
A few hundred people, including priests and lawmakers from neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, gathered in front of the Greek parliament to reject a proposal to call Greece's northern neighbour the Republic of North Macedonia.
"Nobody can be called Macedonians except the Greeks," protest organiser Michalis Patsikas told state agency ANA.
"History is written in blood," read a banner held by a monk. "Skopje = Monkey-donia" said another.
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