ATHENS: The Greek parliament is expected to vote Thursday on a deal to change Macedonia’s name to the Republic of North Macedonia amid deep social division and a crisis in centrist political parties.
Lawmakers will debate the draft name-change deal between Greece and Macedonia on Wednesday and Thursday before the vote, the Athens News Agency said Monday.
Macedonia’s parliament backed a constitutional revision to change the country’s name 10 days ago. But for the deal to go through, the change must also be approved by Greek MPs.
Macedonia is a former Yugoslav republic, but for most Greeks it is the name of their history-rich northern province made famous by Alexander the Great’s conquests.
On Monday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras shared a video clip on Twitter in a bid to convince the sceptics of the benefits of the Prespes Agreement he negotiated with his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev.
“The Prespes Agreement is an historic step not only for our two countries, but also for the whole region, for all of Europe,” he wrote in the accompanying tweet.
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