Parliament Ratifies Name Deal With Greece

SKOPJE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Jun, 2018 ) :Macedonia's Parliament adopted Wednesday the law on ratification of the Final Agreement for the settlement of the differences as described in the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 817 (1993) and 845 (1993), the termination of the Interim Accord of 1995 and the establishment of a strategic partnership.

The parliament comfortably ratified a deal with neighboring Greece signed recently to end a decades-long dispute over Macedonia's name.

Lawmakers voted 69-0 to ratify the agreement, while opposition VMRO-DPMNE did not attend the parliament's session.

The agreement marks the beginning of the end of uncertainty for Macedonia and represents dignified and acceptable solution for both sides, with which the Macedonian identity and language is permanently confirmed, PM Zoran Zaev said prior to start of parliament's session at which name agreement with Greece should be ratified.

"We have an agreement with a clear mark of our Macedonian identity, of our Macedonian language, forever.

We did not give anything to anyone, nor did anyone take anything when we agreed on a geographical qualifier. This is a bold step in the interest of the future of citizens and our children for a peaceful future. Let's dismiss the manipulations, elimination and xenophobia and offer a chance to the agreement. The citizens will have the final say," Zaev said.

According to the agreement, after Parliament ratifies it, Greece is obliged to inform the European Council President Donald Tusk that it supports the start of Macedonia's EU membership negotiations and to inform NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that it supports the NATO invitation. The EU foreign ministers will meet on June 25-26 while the EU Summit will be held on June 28.

The agreement will be finally put up for referendum in Macedonia, which should be organizedeither in September or October.