The Greek Parliament has approved a measure for North Macedonia to join NATO, ending a decades-old dispute.



Lawmakers late February 8 voted 153-140 to ratify the NATO accession protocol for neighboring Macedonia that must now also be approved by all other alliance members.

The vote came after the former Yugoslav republic agreed with Greece last year to change its name to North Macedonia and following ratification of the deal by the countries' parliaments.

Greece's ratification of the NATO accord will see Macedonia now call itself by its new name.

Greece's objections to Skopje's use of the name "Macedonia" since the country's independence in 1991 complicated bids by the small Western Balkan state to join the European Union and NATO.

Athens asserted that the use of the name "Macedonia" suggests Skopje has territorial claims to Greece's northern region of Macedonia.

Negotiations between Greece and Macedonia were protracted and difficult. Nationalist groups in both countries opposed the deal, with many saying it gave up too much to the other side.

However, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev were able to push through their accord as part of efforts to normalize relations.

Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov on February 6 signed a NATO accession agreement, a key step toward Skopje's becoming the military alliance's 30th member.

With reporting by AP and dpa</s>After two days of heated debate, Greece’s Parliament voted by a slim margin on the evening of February 8 to approve the Nato accession protocol of the former Yugoslav republic to be known as the “Republic of North Macedonia”.

Greece’s legislature, which has 300 members, saw the vote end with 153 in favour and 140 against. The vote was carried with the support of 145 votes from Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s Syriza party and six independent MPs.

Opposition to approval came from Tsipras’s estranged former coalition partner, the Independent Greeks (ANEL), with Panos Kammenos lashing out at the Prime Minister as a “cold assassin”, and from opposition New Democracy, with Kyriakos Mitsotakis saying that he reserved the right – should his party be in government – to block the former Yugoslav republic’s accession to the European Union.

The February 8 vote in the legislature in Athens was a major step in the dramatic developments between Athens and Skopje in the past two years.

Tsipras and his counterpart from Skopje, Zoran Zaev, achieved the Prespa Agreement, intended to bring to an end the decades-long dispute over the use of the name “Republic of Macedonia” by the former Yugoslav republic. This name dispute previously had led to Greece – objecting to what it saw as potential territorial claims by Skopje, amid an emotional bilateral political contretemps – blocking its neighbour’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

The vote in Athens came two days after, at a ceremony in Brussels, current Nato member states’ ambassadors signed the accession protocol of the country that when the Prespa Agreement comes into full effect will be known as the Republic of North Macedonia.

Once all Nato member states have ratified the accession protocol, the Republic of North Macedonia will be a member of the Alliance.</s>SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) — Macedonia will sign an accession protocol with NATO on Wednesday under its new name North Macedonia after parliaments in the tiny Balkan country and its southern neighbor Greece ratified a historic name change deal.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced Saturday on Twitter that “on February 6 we will write history: NATO Allies will sign the accession protocol with the future Republic of North Macedonia together with (Macedonian) foreign minister Nikola Dimitrov.” The ceremony will take place at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Greece had blocked Macedonia from joining NATO for three decades because of the name dispute, saying that Macedonia’s name implied territorial claims toward Greece’s northern province.

Macedonia expects Greece to be the first NATO member to ratify the accession protocol. It will then start calling itself by its new name.

The Greek parliament is expected to ratify the accession protocol by Thursday at the earliest or Feb. 11 at the latest. All 29 NATO members must ratify in order for Macedonia to join the alliance as its 30th member. This is expected to happen by the end of 2019 or the beginning of 2020.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.</s>The Greek parliament on Friday ratified with 153 votes in favor and 140 against a NATO accord with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia for its admission into NATO under a new name, after a deal with Greece ended a 27-year-old dispute over its name.

 

 NATO members signed the accord with FYROM this week, days after the Greek parliament endorsed an agreement between Athens and Skopje that changes the Balkan state's name to North Macedonia.</s>The protocol was backed by 153 lawmakers in the 300-seat legislative body, with 140 lawmakers voting against it and one lawmaker abstaining from the vote.

Until June 2018, the name dispute had prevented Macedonia from pursuing membership in NATO and the European Union. Skopje and Athens agreed on a new name, the Republic of North Macedonia. The deal, however, resulted in mass rallies in both countries, with at least 60,000 Macedonians protesting the name change in January.</s>ATHENS, Greece — The Latest on Greece-Macedonia relations (all times local):

Greece’s parliament has approved a measure for Macedonia to join NATO, ending a decades-old dispute.

Lawmakers late Friday voted 153-140 to back the NATO protocol that must now also be approved by all other alliance members.

The Greek vote means the former Yugoslav republic will now formally change its name to North Macedonia, settling a dispute of the country’s name which Greece’s saw as a potential threat to its own northern region of Macedonia. Greek opposition parties said the agreement made too many concessions to Macedonia.

Greek lawmakers are set to approve Macedonia’s NATO accession, ending a process to normalize relations between the two neighbours and anchor the country — renamed North Macedonia — firmly within the western sphere of influence.

Greek opposition parties reject the move, arguing that the name deal, which will end a 27-year dispute, concedes too much to Macedonia. But the left-led government in Athens controls enough seats in parliament to win the vote, expected late Friday.

Greece and the former Yugoslav province — independent since 1991 — struck the historic agreement last summer. Despite strong misgivings from opposition parties and public opinion, both ratified it in parliament.

Greek approval of Macedonia’s NATO accession bid is the final step in the deal. Macedonia will then formally implement the name change.</s>Greece has ratified a NATO accord with Macedonia for the admission of the former Yugoslav Republic into the US-led military alliance after a deal over the name ended a 27-year-old dispute between them.

The Greek parliament on Friday ratified the NATO accession protocol for neighbouring Macedonia - renamed North Macedonia - with 153 votes in favour, 140 against and one abstention.

The ratification ended a process to normalise relations between the two neighbours and anchor Macedonia firmly within the western sphere of influence.

"Today's vote closes the most important round of obligations involving Greece," Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told parliament ahead of the vote.

"I'd like to welcome North Macedonia, a country friendly to Greece, a country that must be an ally in efforts to establish security, stability and peace in the region," he said.

 

"History will judge us. I feel we have carried out our patriotic duty."

NATO members signed the accession protocol with Macedonia on Wednesday, days after the Greek parliament endorsed an agreement between Athens and Skopje that changed the Balkan state's name.

Greece and Macedonia - independent since 1991 - struck the historic agreement to change the name last year, despite protests from opposition parties, and ratified it in parliament.

The Greek approval of Macedonia's NATO accession bid is the final step in the deal.

The two countries remained deadlocked over Macedonia's name for the duration of the younger country's existence. But the election of left-led governments in both the countries made them less vulnerable to nationalist pressures.

The main catalyst for the name change was Macedonia's wish to join NATO, and, eventually, the European Union (EU), and the western countries' desire to diminish Russian influence in the region.

Greece is a member of both the blocs and has veto power over other countries joining.

Tsipras had faced large demonstrations against the deal, while opinion polls showing more than two-thirds of Greeks opposed to it.

The agreement also nearly toppled his government last month after triggering the breakup of his coalition with the nationalist Independent Greeks party.

The row over name had also exposed old rivalries with Russia in a region where Moscow jostles for influence with the NATO and the EU.

Moscow had taken a dim view of the name accord, and of Macedonia joining NATO, accusing the alliance of undermining security in the region by taking in Balkan members.</s>The Greek Parliament is expected to vote on February 8 on the NATO accession protocol for neighboring Macedonia, bringing the end to a decades-old saga a step closer.

The vote comes after the former Yugoslav republic agreed with Greece last year to change its name to North Macedonia and following ratification of the deal by the countries’ parliaments.

The vote is expected to take place in the evening hours.

Greece's objections to Skopje’s use of the name Macedonia since the country's independence in 1991 complicated bids by the small Western Balkan nation to join the European Union and NATO.

Athens asserted that the use of the name Macedonia suggests Skopje has territorial claims to Greece's northern region of Macedonia.

Negotiations between Greece and Macedonia were protracted and difficult. Nationalist groups in both countries opposed the deal, with many saying it gave up too much to the other side.

However, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev were able to push through their accord as part of efforts to normalize relations.

Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov on February 6 signed a NATO accession agreement, a key step toward Skopje's becoming the military alliance's 30th member.

Macedonia said it expected that Greece would be the first NATO member to ratify the accession protocol, after which the country will begin to call itself by its new name.

Greek lawmakers are expected to approve its neighbor’s entry into NATO.Approval is expected to come from the other alliance members as well.

With reporting by AP and dpa</s>ATHENS, Greece -- Greece's parliament on Friday approved a measure for Macedonia to join NATO, ending a decades-old dispute watched closely by Western allies wary of Russian influence in the region.

Lawmakers voted 153-140 to back the NATO protocol that must now also be approved by all other alliance members.

The Greek vote means the former Yugoslav republic will now formally change its name to North Macedonia, settling the spat over the country's name which Greece saw as a potential threat to its own northern region of Macedonia.

"I would like to again welcome North Macedonia, a country that is friendly toward Greece, a country that must be a supporter -- and not an opponent -- of our efforts to establish safety, stability, and co-operation in the wider region," Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told parliament shortly before the vote.

Western countries strongly backed the deal between Greece and Macedonia, after the country's bid to join NATO had been shelved for a decade and amid European concerns over Russia's vocal opposition to the alliance's expansion further into the Balkans.

"Clearly it is in Greece's interest to promote a European course for all its neighbours, not just for North Macedonia -- and not (back) the influence of third forces in the neighbourhood, with different aspirations and pursuits," Tsipras said.

Tsipras had faced large demonstrations against the deal, while opinion polls showed that more than two-thirds of Greeks oppose it.

The agreement also nearly toppled his government last month after triggering the breakup of his coalition with the nationalist Independent Greeks party.

Greek opposition parties argued the agreement made too many concessions to Macedonia.

"(We) will vote against the accession protocol because it is, simply, the final act or the final act of a damaging agreement," conservative opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis told parliament to applause from members of his party before the vote.

Greek approval of Macedonia's NATO accession bid is the final step in the deal. Provided lawmakers vote for the motion, Greece's foreign ministry will promptly notify the Macedonian government of the result.

Macedonia will then write to the United Nations, its member states and international organizations, formally announcing the name change.

Government spokesman Mile Boshnjakovski told The Associated Press this would happen "in coming days."</s>Greece’s parliament has approved a measure for Macedonia to join Nato, ending a decades-old dispute.

Politicians late on Friday voted 153-140 to back the Nato protocol that must now also be approved by all other alliance members.

The Greek vote means the former Yugoslav republic will now formally change its name to North Macedonia.

That settles a dispute of the country’s name which Greece saw as a potential threat to its own northern region of Macedonia.

Greek opposition parties said the agreement made too many concessions to Macedonia.
In a 153–140 vote, the Parliament of Greece ratifies the NATO accession protocol for North Macedonia.