BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th January, 2019) EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and Johannes Hahn, the EU commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, expressed their congratulations on the Macedonian parliament vote which backed the constitutional amendments for renaming the country under a deal with Greece.
On Friday, 81 out of 120 members of the parliament supported the amendments required to rename Macedonia to the Republic of North Macedonia, which is expected to open the way for the country's accession to NATO and the European Union.
"We express our wholehearted congratulations on the Parliament's vote on the constitutional changes today. This is a crucial step in implementing the historic Prespa agreement ... The EU strongly supports this agreement which sets an example of reconciliation for the region and Europe as a whole," the officials said in a joint statement.
Mogherini and Hahn also expressed their commitment to support Macedonia's aspirations to join the European Union.
Athens and Skopje reached the agreement on renaming Macedonia in June. In September, the move was supported by over 91 percent of Macedonians at a referendum. However, the turnout at the plebiscite was 37 percent with the required threshold of 50 percent.
Macedonia gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Athens has been in dispute with the country over its name, claiming that Macedonia might have territorial claims over Greece's own region of the same name. Moreover, Athens has been blocking Skopje's NATO and EU bids over the lack of agreement on the issue.
