Skopje

A month ago, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Albania, which included a text, put forward by Bulgarian MEPs Andrey Kovatchev and Angel Dzhambazki, reaffirming the rights of the Bulgarian population in Mala Prespa, Golo Brdo and Gora.

Bulgarian Foreign Minister has told Macedonian Deputy PM Fatmir Besimi his country hopes to find the right formula of a neighborhood agreement with Skopje.

After receiving Besimi in Sofia, he has noted discussions on the agreement have brought about "positive" messages.

Macedonia's central bank has told the commercial banks to pull their money out of banks in Greece as a "preventive measure", after Greece's international creditors refused to extend bailouts to Athens.

As a result, Greece has closed its banks to prevent a mass withdrawal of savings.

Greek officials walked out of a meeting of foreign ministers from NATO member states in December after protesting a document referring to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) by its constitutional name, which is the subject of a dispute with Athens.

BELGRADE - Metropolitan Ilarion Alfeyev, the second most senior official of the Russian Orthodox Church, has said that Moscow wants to mediate in the church dispute between Belgrade and Skopje, the Religious Information Agency (VIA) reported on Monday.