The Greek Parliament will vote on the protocol that paves the way for the Republic of Macedonia’s accession to NATO under the name “Republic of North Macedonia,” as agreed with the Prespa Agreement signed by both countries. Greece’s Parliament Speaker Nikos Voutsis on Tuesday said the accession protocol would be presented to a special parliamentary […]
During a cabinet meeting he chaired on Monday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced plans to increase the minimum wage in the country. The Greek premier said the minimum wage will be raised from 586 to 650 euros – an 11 percent increase – while the so-called sub-minimum wage of 518 euros paid to young employees […]
The law under which The Prespa Agreement is ratified and enforced has been published in the Official Gazette of Greece, after Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos previously signed it. With the publication in the Official Gazette dated January 25, 2019, the agreement between the two countries is already officially a law in Greece. The law of […]
UN mediator Matthew Nimetz for the name dispute talks between Greece and Macedonia, said that failure to ratify the Prespa Agreement would have profound consequences for both sides, Kathimerini reports. “If the Prespa Agreement does not come into effect, the consequences of the failure will be profound and both sides might well reconsider many elements […]
Citizens of Athens have announced fresh protests against the name deal between Greece and Macedonia on Thursday. The so-called Committee for the Greek Character of Macedonia has urged citizens to come out and protest in downtown Athens , amid the parliament’s vote to ratify the Prespa Agreement. “No one should go to work on Wednesday […]
A deal to settle a 27-year-old dispute between Greece and Macedonia that comes to the Greek parliament for ratification this week provides a rare achievement to celebrate in the Western Balkans, says The Financial Times in an article published Tuesday. Macedonia has been stuck in an economic and geopolitical no man’s land since it was […]
Greece’s Committee for National Defense and Foreign Affairs members’ debate on the Prespa Agreement in Greek Parliament resumed Tuesday with right-wing politicians asking that the Macedonian Constitution be submitted for consideration in full. New Democracy’s foreign policy official Giorgos Koumoutsakos asked to see the Macedonian Constitution in its entirety as well as the letter by […]
Greece’s parliament’s committee on defense and foreign policy is to resume Tuesday at 10:30h the debate on Prespa Agreement ratification. A plenary session will take up the debate on Wednesday, before a vote set for late Thursday, said Parliament Speaker Nikos Voutsis said. The process on Prespa Agreement ratification started Monday while the debate of committee […]
The debate in the Greek parliament for the ratification of the Prespa Agreement begins on Wednesday at 10 am local time, and the vote will be on Thursday evening, sources from the Greek parliament said. This was decided at a meeting of the Greek Parliament Speaker with his deputies. According to the same sources, the […]
An upcoming vote in Greek parliament on Athens’ deal with Skopje to change the name of the Republic of Macedonia to North Macedonia (known as the Prespa Agreement) could potentially reshape Greece’s political map ahead of a general election later this year. Following the breakup of the SYRIZA – Independent Greeks coalition, the controversial issue […]
The Prespa Agreement and its ratification in the Greek parliament is the focus of all Sunday editions of Greek newspapers. Real News publishes an interview with Vice Prime Minister Bujar Osmani titled “Greece is the Main Guarantor for our Euro-Atlantic Ambitions”. Avgi, considered a left-oriented newspaper, features an interview with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who says […]
The EU supports the Prespa Agreement and it follows the national procedures that still need to be done to implement the agreement, said European Commission spokesperson Maja Kocijancic. EU spokesperson Kocijancic reiterated that the EU ‘supports the historic agreement and the political courage and leadership in resolving one of the region’s oldest conflicts.’ “It is a unique […]
The Greek government will win the confidence vote and will be able to keep running the country, said government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos in an interview Monday. Referring to Alexis Tsipras’ move to seek confidence vote in Parliament, he said that the prime minister took an initiative of high political symbolism and a great political risk. Tzanakopoulos […]
United Nations mediator in the name negotiations Matthew Nimetz welcomed the final steps taken by the Macedonian Parliament towards implementing the Prespa Agreement. ‘I welcome the final steps taken by the Parliament of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia towards the implementation of the Prespa Agreement. I wish to congratulate the Parliament and the country’s citizens […]
For all of us in Europe, it is good to have an important resolution here with regard to the issue of North Macedonia, and bold approach is a prerequisite for this, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday at a meeting with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos. Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos in his statements at the beginning […]
Manfred Weber, who will lead the European People’s Party (EPP), European election campaign, said that Greece-Macedonia name dispute has to be solved in order to give Macedonia a positive economic and European future. “Everybody knows that [the name dispute] has to be solved in order to give Macedonia a positive economic and European future,” Weber […]
PM Zoran Zaev discussed sincere friendship between the two countries and peoples, the benefits of the Prespa Agreement, the processes in the Macedonian and Greek parliaments, NATO membership, coming presidential elections, as well as the Nobel Peace Prize nomination in an interview with Greek daily Efimerida ton Syntakton. Zaev says the Prespa Agreement cannot be revised […]
Greece’s government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos has expressed his confidence that the SYRIZA-led administration will secure the 151 votes it needs to adopt the name agreement signed between Athens and Skopje on June 17th, 2018. On Wednesday in a radio interview with News 24/7 , Tzanakopoulos said that in the event that the junior coalition Independent Greeks […]
Zoran Zaev’s statements on the “Macedonian language” brought the strong retort of Alexis Tispras’ coalition partner and current Defence Minister and leader of Independent Greeks, Panos Kammenos. “It is now obvious that all talks on the survival of the so-called Prespes agreement have come to an end”, Kammenos said, referring to the “provocative behaviour and […]
The Government of Macedonia has made a clarification statement, regarding the statement made by Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, according to which “the Prespa Agreement creates potential opportunities for teaching the Macedonian language in Greece”. IBNA contacted the Government Spokesman of Macedonia, Mile Bosnjakovski who said: “The Prespa Agreement provides an opportunity for friendship and strategic […]
