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Greek minister breaks ranks with government, declares bid to block Macedonia deal

Tuesday, 03 July 2018 9:32 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 03 July 2018 9:47 AM ]

Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos (file photo)

Greece’s Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, a key ally in the delicate left-right coalition government, has announced plans to block an agreement inked with neighboring Macedonia last month to end a long-running dispute over the latter country’s name.

Although the new name the two countries have agreed on — the Republic of Northern Macedonia — has the geographical qualifier demanded by Athens, the deal has ignited nationalist outcries in both countries.

Kammenos, who leads the right-wing Independent Greeks Party, insisted that he would not approve the pact, which has to win ratification by the Greek parliament.

“For me, it’s a bad deal, and I will try to block it,” the Greek minister said at a Monday news conference, potentially having his party’s parliamentary strength in mind.

Two lawmakers from the Independent Greeks broke ranks and abandoned the party over the controversy last month, leaving the legislative coalition formed by the nation’s leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras down to 152 seats in the 300-seat parliament — its slightest parliamentary majority since he came into office in 2015.

Greece had threatened in the past to impede Skopje’s efforts to join the European Union (EU) and the US-led NATO military alliance, saying that the use of simple name “Macedonia” connoted territorial claims over the northern Greek region of the same name.

In Macedonia, too, there is opposition to the deal. Macedonia’s president has threatened not to approve the pact. The Macedonian parliament has however ratified the deal. A referendum is the last hurdle inside Macedonia on the deal’s path.

The Greek parliament will then have to ratify the deal, too.

The development came a day after protesters clashed with police at a rally in Athens to oppose the agreement with the former Yugoslav Republic. Several protesters blocking a road were dragged off by police in riot gear.