SkopjeDiem Macedonia in English

“The flashbangs and the tear gas were used by the book,” Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski said on Wednesday, regarding Sunday’s protests. Following the attacks on the police officers, the tactical assessment was use of chemical means, according to him. The Minister called for peaceful protests, without attacks on police like the ones carried out by a group of people wearing ...

The decisions regarding the name deal are in the competence of Macedonia and Greece, US Ambassador to Macedonia Jess Baily said on Wednesday. As he added regarding protesters’ accusations levelled at him, his country has always supported the solving of the dispute, but the final decision wasn’t its. “Now, certain compromise has been reached, because of which you are expressing ...

The Council of Europe welcomes the name agreement between Skopje and Athens, describing it as historic. At Wednesday’s press-conference in Skopje, Lise Christoffersen, who is part of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly delegation’s visit to the Macedonian capital, said the hope was that the deal would be ratified. She also welcomed the two countries’ good faith and courageous steps. ...

On Tuesday, Parliament determined the need to adopt the law for ratification of the Skopje-Athens name agreement.  110 MPs attended the session. 69 voted in favour, while 40 were against. FM Nikola Dimitrov explained before parliamentarians the need to adopt the law in a shortened procedure. The adoption deadline is 22 June 2018. As Dimitrov said, it’s more than necessary ...

During the session which saw Parliament determine the need to adopt the law for ratification of the Skopje-Athens name agreement, the protests against the deal continued. Once VMRO-DPMNE left Parliament’s work, protesters headed to the opposition party’s HQ, urging party leader Hristijan Mickoski to, as they said, to bring VMRO-DPMNE to the streets.  Mickoski received protesters’ representatives. “I will support ...

Greek FM Nikos Kotzias denies the more and more present information that the government in Athens rushed to sign the name agreement with its northern neighbour in exchange for a part of Greece’s debt being forgiven. “We didn’t give anything in order to get something in return. We made a best deal in which we took our and their interests ...

In Tuesday’s interview with the Truth only show on Kanal 5 TV, PM Zoran Zaev discussed the name process, as well as previous and current developments related to the dispute. During the name issue negotiations in 2012 and 2013, then-PM Nikola Gruevski agreed to the name “Upper Macedonia”, but Greece rejected that because it was provoked by the antiquisation and ...

On Tuesday, the Criminal Court separated the procedure against former Interior Minister Gordana Jankuloska, who is a defendant in the Target-Fortress case, opened by the Special Prosecutor’s Office. The institution headed by Special Katica Janeva requested for her to be tried in a separate procedure because she is pregnant. The procedure for fugitives Goran Grujevski and Nikola Boskoski, who are ...

The government adopted on Monday the draft law for ratification of the name agreement with Greece. The document was submitted to Parliament. Once it passes the parliamentary filter, it will be submitted to President Gjorge Ivanov, who will have seven days to sign it. The President has already said he will not accept a constitutional change aiming at a change ...

The reactions to the latest developments related to the name issue in Greece continued in Greece. Greek FM Nikos Kotzias considers that a deal without compromise is reached only in a time of war. “We are not at war with the neighbouring country. We are friends. The ones that are now protesting in Greece are the ones that welcome the ...