Name dispute with Macedonia: Greek Minister of defense resigns

Greece’s defense Minister Panos Kammenos of the right-wing populist coalition partner, the Independent Greeks (Anel) is entered in the name dispute with Macedonia. He give up because of the Macedonia question, his office, his party withdraw from the government, said Kammenos on Sunday after a Meeting with the head of government Alexis Tsipras. The other members of the government, his party would withdraw, said Kammenos. The decision was made shortly before the vote in the Greek Parliament on the new name of Macedonia.

it is Unclear what this means for the Greek government coalition. The Syriza party of Tsipras comes to 145 seats in Parliament and relies for a majority in the 300-seat chamber to the members of the Anel. Parliamentary elections are to be held in Greece in October.

Macedonian Parliament voted a change of name to

Kammenos rejects the agreement with Macedonia for a long time, which had been signed in the past year. The main opposition party Nea Dimokratia is against the agreement.

The Macedonian Parliament had decided on the renaming of the southern Balkan country in the North of Macedonia, on Friday evening, and his part for the settlement of the dispute with Greece fulfilled. For the corresponding amendment of the Constitution 81 of the 120 deputies voted, so that the required two-thirds majority was narrowly achieved. There were neither votes against nor abstentions. The nationalist Opposition took part in the vote. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) in Berlin welcomed the vote.