Panos Kammenos

The two men who for four years were entrusted with heavy responsibilities regarding the fate of the Greeks - the one as minister of national defense, the other as foreign affairs minister - are headed for court, exchanging harsh accusations.

Former foreign minister Nikos Kotzias, the architect of the name deal between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), on Thursday slammed the conservative opposition for opposing the agreement.

Panos Kammenos, the former Greek defense minister who quit the government coalition over his objection to Greece's name deal with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), on Thursday urged lawmakers to vote down the so-called Prespes deal which he described as a "crime."

A vote on the Prespes name deal is expected to take place in Greece's Parliament on Thursday night with debate to start at committee level on Monday afternoon before moving to the plenary, House speaker Nikos Voutsis said Monday.

Former foreign minister Nikos Kotzias indicated on Monday that he is planning to sue his onetime cabinet colleague, former defense minister Panos Kammenos, over recent comments by the latter accusing Kotzias of corruption.

"The prosecutor will deal with that gentleman," Kotzias told News 24/7.

In response to the Prime Minister's statement about extremists being behind Sunday's clashes during the protest rally against the Prespes deal, both the opposition leader and a former ally took Tsipras to task, on Twitter.

"The Prespes Deal is unconstitutional, former Defense Minister and Independent Greeks leader Panos Kammenos claimed in an interview to SKAI TV.

Kammenos, who bolted the government alliance earlier this month over his objections to the deal, added that the agreement coming to Parliament for ratification next week has nothing to do with what was signed, because it has four amendments.

The government is concerned about the continuing clash between two erstwhile cabinet members - former defense minister Panos Kammenos and former foreign minister Nikos Kotzias - in the countdown to elections.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras won a confidence vote on Wednesday, which will pave the way for parliament to ratify an accord he agreed last year with Skopje to end a long dispute over the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

Independent Greeks (ANEL) leader Panos Kammenos accused former party MPs of exchanging their support for the government in a no-confidence vote for their cabinet positions, during a speech in a parliamentary debate on the motion on Wednesday.

"They chose the ministerial position for a vote of confidence," he told lawmakers, adding he will vote against the government.