North Macedonia Name Deal Signed With Greece Amid Opposition
- Greece to unblock republic’s talks on EU, NATO membership
- Greek cabinet survived no-confidence challenge over deal
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev raise their hands during a signing ceremony between officials from Greece and Macedonia at Prespes Lake on June 17.
Photographer: Sakis Mitrolidis/AFP via Getty Images
Greece and the Republic of Macedonia signed an historic agreement that may open the door for the former Yugoslav state to start accession talks with the European Union and NATO as both nations face strong opposition at home.
Foreign ministers Nikos Kotzias and Nikola Dimitrov sealed the deal to change the republic’s name to North Macedonia, its Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said Sunday in the Greek village of Psarades, at the border Lake of Prespa. The document, in which Greece agrees to drop its veto over Macedonia’s EU and NATO membership, and will be submitted to the parliament in Skopje Tuesday. It’ll be submitted to lawmakers in Athens after the Skopje government changes its constitution this year.