According to Bulgarian Defence Minister Krasimir Karakahanov, though his country isn’t against the Intergovernmental Conference between Macedonia and the EU, it believes it is not the time for that. He says that Bulgaria’s authorities adopted the “framework position” last October due to Macedonia’s non-compliance with the good-neighbourliness deal. Karakachanov considers that former Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov did nothing over a ...

The key area on which Macedonia should focus in the period ahead is the rule of law, the new Head of the EU Delegation, Ambassador David Geer, assessed following Wednesday’s meeting with PM Zoran Zaev. According to him, that will be both the first chapter opened in the negotiations with the EU and the last one closed. As Geer added, ...

Non-discipline and non-compliance with protocols are the main reasons for the increase spread of COVID-19, according to Health Minister Venko Filipce. At a press-conference on Tuesday, he said that measures might be strengthened and that there might be stronger controls. The goal and strategy, Filipce explained, is timely introduction of measures that will directly fight the spread. “The goal is ...

At Monday’s session of the Central Committee of VMRO-DPMNE, the leader of the party, Hristijan Mickoski, proposed to members to convene an extraordinary congress at which he wouldn’t run, but they unanimously rejected the proposal. Mickoski proposed a new composition of the party’s Executive Committee, which now consists of: Vice Presidents Vlado Misajlovski and Aleksandar Nikoloski, member and former MP ...

On Friday, the Supreme Court rejected the appeals filed by those convicted in the Tank case, former PM Nikola Gruevski, former Interior Minister, and Gjoko Popovski, confirming the verdicts of the Court of Appeals. Gruevski, who’s in Budapest, Jankuloska, and Popovski , had been sentenced to two years, four years, and 4.5 years in prison, respectively. On Saturday, Jankuloska said ...

The Government’s stand is that the treaty with Bulgaria creates a legal framework and provides instruments to manage bilateral relations. Commenting on the Memorandum, it said on Thursday that the individuality of the Macedonian language and ethnic identity was an undisputed fact. Claims and statements containing insults don’t lead to friendship, it was added. VMRO-DPMNE’s Antonijo Milososki’s proposal is that ...

PM Zoran Zaev held a working meeting on Wednesday with Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens. Zaev said that Athens and Skopje, with the Prespa deal, had created a model to successfully resolve open issues between neighbours. The two PMs described the meeting as significant and additional contribution in terms of advancing bilateral relations. The Macedonian PM also stated that ...

At Tuesday’s protest, VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski described Goce Delcev as the red line of “our dignity and identity”. Also, he said the revolutionary was the pillar of “our existence as a people”.  PM Zoran Zaev, according to Mickoski, is not the future. “We’re protesting because Delcev is a European value, too, because his idea for freedom and cultural elevation ...

On Monday, President Stevo Pendarovski held a meeting with the Head of the EU Delegation, Ambassador Samuel Zbogar. They talked about the current situation in the country since the formation of the new Government and about Macedonia’s EU path. Pendarovski said he expected the first intergovernmental conference to be held during the German Presidency. Also, he thanked Zbogar for his ...

On Wednesday, PM Zoran Zaev held a meeting via video conference with Oliver Varhelyi upon a request from the EU Enlargement Commissioner. They talked about several issues, including good-neighbourly policy and the possibility of holding a first inter-governmental conference with the EU. According to Varhelyi, the European Commission remains committed to assisting Macedonia both financially and from a human resources ...