The Greek Parliament has passed a law legalizing same-sex marriages. This made Greece the first Orthodox country to legalize such marriages, CNN reports.

The decision was supported by 176 out of 300 lawmakers in the parliament, while 76 were against.

"This is an important human rights milestone that reflects the Greece of today - a progressive and democratic country passionately committed to European values," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said after the vote.

The new law will allow same-sex couples to adopt children in Greece. However, surrogacy will be prohibited for them.

"The new law will finally provide same-sex parents with some peace of mind on fundamental issues, including the parental rights of the father in the event of the death of their partner," said Katerina Trimmi, a member of the Greek National Commission for Human Rights.

It should be noted that 15 of the 27 members of the European Union have already legalized same-sex marriages.