Macedonia and Greece are set to sign a historic agreement on a modified name for Macedonia after the Greek prime minister survived a parliamentary vote of no-confidence brought by opponents of the deal and in the face of protests in both countries.
The agreement is scheduled to be signed early on June 17 by the nations' foreign ministers at Lake Prespa along the border separating the Balkan neighbors. Both prime ministers will also attend, along with other European officials.
Greek lawmakers on June 16 backed Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras by rejecting the motion brought by the opposition New Democracy party, which had had accused him of granting too many concessions in the deal with Macedonia.
"Out of 280 lawmakers present, 153 voted against the motion," speaker Yiorgis Varemenos said.
Thousands of Greeks protested against the deal outside parliament on the day of the no-confidence motion, calling for the prime minister's resignation. Police fired tear gas at protesters to keep them from entering the building.
Another demonstration is planned on the border on June 17 during the signing ceremony, organizers said.
The agreement to change the name of Greece's northern neighbor to the Republic of North Macedonia has been welcomed by the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, and NATO.
The deal must be ratified first by Macedonia's parliament and confirmed in a Macedonian referendum in September, after which Greece's parliament must ratify it.
But it has met with strong opposition internally in both countries, which could pose obstacles and delays for its ratification in their national parliaments.
Macedonia's nationalist president, Gjorge Ivanov, pledged to veto the deal if it is ratified by Skopje's parliament.
Macedonia in ancient times was the cradle of Alexander the Great's empire, and remains a source of intense pride among modern-day Greeks.
"Nobody can be called Macedonians except the Greeks," protest organizer Michalis Patsikas has said.
But Tsipras has dismissed the opposition. He has argued that the pact will help stabilize the historically volatile Balkan region and nurture prosperity in Southern Europe.
"Hatred toward the country of another is not patriotism," Tsipras told the parliament on June 16.
By agreeing to change its name to North Macedonia under the deal, Skopje has won Greece's support for its efforts to join the European Union and NATO -- efforts Athens previously blocked for decades.
Macedonian leaders have said that with the deal in hand, they hope to secure a date to begin EU accession talks at an EU summit in late June, and an invitation to join NATO by mid-July.
