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
- 1952: The Greek Parliament approved the country's entry into NATO.
- 1969: The Junta's Minister of the Interior, Stylianos Pattakos, ruled out the possibility of municipal elections in the near future.
- 1972: An Olympic Aviation Learjet crashed off the coast of Monte Carlo. Both crew members were killed.
- 1973: Archbishop Makarios III was proclaimed President of Cyprus for a third term as there were no other candidates for the post.
- Births: Nikos Kazantzakis, writer, philosopher (1883), Andreas Papaemmanouil, footballer (1939), Terence Quick, reporter (1947)
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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