Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras won a no-confidence motion in Parliament in Athens on Saturday, in a row over a deal aimed at solving the long-lasting dispute with neighbouring Macedonia over its name.
The no-confidence motion was given by the main opposition party New Democracy.
After the debates, parliament voted 153-127 against the motion.
“Let’s speak openly. Your problem isn’t that this is a bad deal. Your problem is that there is a deal. And what is even worse for you is that it is a good deal,” said Alexis Tsipras in his Parliament speech, referring to the opponents.
On Thursday, Tsipras and Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev reached an agreement which would see the Republic of Macedonia change its name to ‘the Republic of North Macedonia’.
Many in Greece have seen the name ‘Macedonia’ as posing a threat to the Greek state arguing that it implies a territorial claim over the eponymous region of northern Greece.
The Macedonia naming dispute dates back to Macedonia’s declaration of independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. As a result, international organisations and states that do not recognise the constitutional name ‘Republic of Macedonia’ refer to it as ‘the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’ (FYROM).
Mandatory credit: Hellenic Parliament TV
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