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| The name change was agreed on in talks between Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, seen on the right, and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev, both of whom were at the signing ceremony |
Greece and
Macedonia on Sunday signed a historic preliminary agreement to rename the small
Balkan nation the Republic of North Macedonia, ending a row that has poisoned
relations between the two neighbours since 1991.
"This
is a brave, historic and necessary step for our peoples," said Greek Prime
Minister Alexis Tsipras.
"We
are here to heal the wounds of time, to open a path for peace, fraternisation
and growth for our countries, the Balkans and Europe," he said.
"Our
two countries should step out of the past and look to the future," said
Macedonia Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.
"By
signing the agreement... we have really moved mountains," he stressed.
But as the
two countries' foreign ministers signed the deal Greek protesters clashed with
riot police, who beat them back with tear gas near the small village of
Pisoderi, 25 kilometres (16 miles) away from the ceremony.
Six
policemen and six protesters were injured, police said, as around 500
demonstrators waving Greek flags tried to approach the signature ceremony.
The accord
aims to start unravelling one of the world's longest diplomatic disputes, which
began 27 years ago with Macedonia's declaration of independence but whose roots
date back centuries.
"The
time has come again to sing happy songs in the Balkans," Tsipras said,
moments before the document was signed by the foreign ministers.
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Greece's
northern province of Macedonia was the cradle of Alexander the Great's
empire
and is a source of intense pride for modern-day Greeks
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Zaev and
several of his ministers arrived by speedboat at the picturesque fishing
village of Psarades under a sunny sky, on the southern bank of Lake Prespa, one
of the natural boundaries between the two countries.
Tsipras and
Zaev embraced on the village dock and were treated to a standing ovation by
gathered dignitaries.
UN
under-secretary-general for political affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, longterm UN
negotiator Matthew Nimetz, EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini and EU
enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn were on hand, snapping pictures with
their smartphones.
Nimetz, who
turned 79 on Sunday, and was given a birthday cake, has been trying to broker a
solution since 1994, first as a US envoy and subsequently on behalf of the
United Nations.
But it was
the election of Zaev in 2017, replacing nationalist prime minister Nikola
Gruevski, that proved crucial.
An
economist and former mayor of Strumica, Zaev made a rapprochement with Greece a
priority to secure his country's membership of the European Union and NATO,
blocked by Athens for years.
After the
signature, Tsipras crossed over to the Macedonian side of Lake Prespa for
lunch, becoming the first Greek prime minister to visit the neighbouring state.
Since 1991,
Athens has objected to its neighbour being called Macedonia because it has its own
northern province of the same name, which in ancient times was the cradle of
Alexander the Great's empire -- a source of intense pride for modern-day
Greeks.
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Protest
rallies against the name change took place in both countries
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The two
premiers, born just months apart in 1974, have bucked strong hostile reactions
at home to push ahead with the agreement.
Accusations of treachery
Tsipras has
been accused of treachery by Greek hardliners, and on Saturday defeated a vote
of censure against his government amid protests and clashes with police outside
parliament.
In Macedonia,
President Gjorge Ivanov plans to exercise a one-time veto option to block the
deal that the nationalist opposition has called a "capitulation".
The
Macedonian parliament is scheduled to start debating the agreement the coming
week.
The accord
still needs to be approved by Macedonia's parliament and then pass a
referendum.
The
Macedonian constitution must also be revised by the end of the year, before
Greece's parliament is called to ratify it.
On Sunday,
some 5,000 people marched against the name deal in Bitola, in southwestern
Macedonia, an event organised by the main opposition VMRO-DPMNE party.
"Macedonia
was hit by a hurricane today, and that hurricane has a name -- Zoran
Zaev," VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski told the crowd. He reiterated
that his party would not support any constitutional bid to change the country's
name.
The
one-hour protest held under slogan "Child North Macedonia -- Father
Tsipras, Mother Zaev" ended peacefully.
'Brave steps'
Tsipras'
domestic critics say he has bargained away Greece's diplomatic advantages --
the power of veto over EU and NATO accession -- for a deal that could backfire.
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