Greece
Greece first to approve North Macedonia joining NATO
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After holding up its admission for years, Greece became the first nation Friday to ratify North Macedonia’s membership of NATO after the two states resolved a decades-old name dispute last month.
NATO members signed the accord with North Macedonia this week, days after the Greek parliament endorsed an agreement between Athens and Skopje that changes FYR Macedonia’s name to North Macedonia.
Staring down strong domestic opposition from Greeks worried the Balkan neighbor was appropriating Greek heritage, the government of leftist Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras pushed the name change through parliament on Jan. 25.
Under NATO alliance rules, North Macedonian membership now has to be approved by each member state, giving Greek lawmakers the opportunity for another round of verbal jousting over the controversy.
“I feel we did our patriotic duty. We did what is right,” Tsipras told parliament during a heated debate Friday.
The dispute had frustrated North Macedonian attempts to join the…
On This Day
- 1915: Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos resigned after a series of disagreements - mostly focused around entry into World War I - with King Constantine I.
- 1941: Seven Italian aircraft were downed over Greece in a single day during World War II.
- 1985: Publisher Nikos Momferatos of the daily paper Apogevmatini and his driver were killed in Kolonaki. The Revolutionary Organisation 17 November assumed responsibility.
- 1993: Turkish PM, Turgut Ozal, accused Greece of "chauvinism" in relation to FYROM's use of the name "Macedonia".
- Births: Olympia Snowe, Greek-American politician (1947), Angelos Dionysiou, singer (1957)
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Greece first to approve North Macedonia joining NATO
After holding up its admission for years, Greece became the first nation Friday to ratify
Iran criticizes Greece, Italy for not buying its oil despite US waivers
Iran’s oil minister on Tuesday criticized Greece and Italy for not buying its oil despite