MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th January, 2019) French President Emmanuel Macron and Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian welcomed ratification of the Macedonian naming deal by the Greek parliament.
On Friday, the Greek parliament ratified the Prespa agreement on renaming Macedonia into the Republic of Northern Macedonia.
"I welcome the vote on the Prespa agreement. That is an example of courage and unity for Europe," Macron wrote on his Twitter page on late Friday.
Le Drian has also welcomed the Greek parliament's decision to ratify the Prespa agreement.
"I welcome the today's voting in the Greek parliament on the law that ratifies the Prespa agreement on renaming the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia [FYROM]," the foreign minister noted.
The Greek parliament's voting will allow to Greece and Macedonia to put an end to a row that lasted for almost 25 years, according to Le Drian.
"The Prespa agreement will allow [Greece and North Macedonia] to develop relations between the two nations in many spheres as well as will boost stability in western Balkans and whole Europe," the minister added.
Greece and Macedonia, officially known as the FYROM, have been entangled in a naming dispute for years, with Athens opposing the use of "Macedonia," which is also the name of a region in Greece. The agreement on the new name for Macedonia - Republic of Northern Macedonia - was signed by Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov and his Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias on June 17.
The deal paved the way for Macedonia to join the European Union and NATO, which had been earlier blocked by Greece over the naming issue. �
