Macedonian Parliament Adopts Agreement With Greece on New Name for 2nd Time

BELGRADE (Sputnik) - On June 17, Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov and his Greek counterpart Nikos Kotsias signed an agreement on the new name for Macedonia.

The Macedonian parliament on Thursday adopted for the second time the historic agreement with Greece on renaming the country by a majority of votes, the process for which was broadcast by the parliament's press service.

"At least 69 lawmakers out of the 70 who were present voted in favor. The document was adopted," parliament's speaker Talat Xhaferi said.

There are 120 seats in the Macedonian parliament.

READ MORE: Greek Football Fans Protest in Thessaloniki Against Macedonia Name Deal (VIDEO)

Athens and Skopje agreed on the Republic of Northern Macedonia after a years-long dispute over the use of "Macedonia," which is also the name of a region in Greece.

On June 20, the bill promulgating the agreement was ratified by the Macedonian parliament.

However, on June 26, Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov refused to sign into law the agreement between Greece and Macedonia, adding that he would not advocate the deal, calling it damaging and a violation of Macedonian law.

In accordance with the constitution, the document was returned to the parliament for the second review on Thursday.