Normalizing Greece-FYROM relations once and for all

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has shown courage in his persistence to push through the name deal signed with Greece. This is something the more moderate voices on the Greek side appreciate, as is the fact that when the embattled premier is addressing a domestic audience he needs to highlight the benefits he secured with the agreement rather than the concessions he was forced to make. The latter he will either downplay or not bring up at all.

Nevertheless, at this important juncture for the success of the deal, FYROM's prime minister, as well as the Balkan country's politicians and citizens, need to remember two very important things. First, that the agreement still needs to be ratified by the Greek Parliament, where the balance is also quite shaky and majority support is not a given.

The second is that even when the deal passes...