Mount Athos monastic community calls for referendum on FYROM name deal
The Holy Community of Mount Athos, which represents a cluster of historic monasteries and one of Orthodoxy's holiest sites in Halkidiki, northern Greece, has called on the left-led government to hold a referendum on the contentious name deal.
In an announcement, the Holy Community said that it considers the so-called Prespes agreement's “recognition of a 'Macedonian language' and a 'Macedonian ethnicity' as disregarding history and truth.”
It calls on the government to “respect the will of the Greek people” by carrying out a referendum before the agreement is brought to Parliament for ratification, probably next month.
The body that represents Mount Athos also said its members and supporters will be attending a rally in protest at the name deal in central Athens scheduled for Sunday.
