Tsipras calls on MPs to renew confidence in gov't, defends Prespes deal

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday called on lawmakers to renew their support in the government during the first day of a tense debate in Parliament over a confidence motion called by him last weekend.

"I ask with honesty and clarity the reaffirmation of the national delegation's confidence in the government," he said, adding that the final months in power will be used by the government to pass crucial legislation and complete the constitutional revision.

Defending the name deal signed between Athens and Skopje to end a decades-old dispute over the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tsipras said he and former foreign minister Nikos Kotzias took advantage of a 'historic opportunity' to resolve the problem.

"My conscience and my patriotic duty required me to use this historic opportunity to solve the Macedonian issue, knowing that...