Greece, Macedonia sign deal

International Desk: Greece and Macedonia have signed a deal that aims to settle a decades-long dispute over Macedonia's name.

Under the agreement, Greece's neighbour will be known as North Macedonia.
Greek PM Alexis Tsipras said it was "a brave, historic and necessary step for our peoples".

Heated rows over Macedonia's name have been going on since the break-up of the former Yugoslavia, of which it was a part, and have held up Macedonia's entry to Nato and the EU.

Greece has long argued that by using the name Macedonia, its neighbour was implying it had a claim on the northern Greek province also called Macedonia.
The two countries' leaders announced the deal on Tuesday and have pressed ahead despite protests.

Mr Tsipras and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev watched as their foreign ministers signed the deal on Lake Prespa on Greece's northern border on Sunday.

The agreement still needs to be approved by both parliaments and by a referendum in Macedonia.

Nationalists on both sides say it erodes their identity.

On Saturday Mr Tsipras survived a no-confidence vote over the deal amid accusations he made too many concessions.

It looked like the setting for a wedding. A white marquee erected on the banks of a picturesque lake. And indeed, one of the participants was agreeing to change its name.

After almost three decades of dispute, the northern neighbour of Greece should soon become North Macedonia.

An elderly man in the audience nodded and smiled. This was Matthew Nimetz - the UN mediator who has spent a quarter of a century trying to find a solution acceptable to both countries.

He called the prime and foreign ministers "four outstanding leaders" with "political courage, vision and diplomatic skills".

Source: Agencies



risingbd/June 17, 2018/Mukul