Stevo Pendarovski

Fresh Thinking

North Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski cuts a very different figure from Gjorgje Ivanov, his predecessor. Ivanov was often jokingly referred to as a 'ficus', or house plant, due to his passivity. The same cannot be said of Pendarovski.

Stevo Pendarovski, who is attending the Paris Peace Forum, will have a meeting later on Tuesday with Emmanuel Macron, whose opposition last month at the European Council dashed North Macedonia's hopes of a start date for EU accession negotiations.

President Stevo Pendarovski will meet his counterpart Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of next week's Paris Peace Forum in an attempt to convince the French President that North Macedonia deserves a start date for EU accession negotiations, it was announced on Tuesday.

I came to reaffirm the strong US support for Northern Macedonia and its European path and perspective, "said Matthew Palmer, US Special Representative for the Western Balkans, during his visit to Skopje.

The decision was made on the meeting of the leaders of all parliamentary parties with the country's President Stevo Pendarovski held last night, which was scheduled last Friday after the European leaders decided to postpone the start for the opening of accession negotiations with Skopje.

Leaders of major political parties in North Macedonia, including those in the ruling coalition, agreed to hold a snap parliamentary election on April 12 after the European Union failed to give the country a date to start talks on joining the bloc. 

Northern Macedonia holds early elections on April 12th.

An official government will be appointed on January 3. This was agreed by the leaders of the main political parties in the country after a meeting with President Stevo Pendarovski.

European Council President Donald Tusk says North Macedonia is ready to start membership talks with the European Union, following a deal the country reached with neighboring Greece to change its name.
Tusk spoke Tuesday during a visit to Skopje, where he met with President Stevo Pendarovski and Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.

European Council President Donald Tusk says North Macedonia is ready to start membership talks with the European Union, following a deal the country reached with neighboring Greece to change its name.
Tusk spoke Tuesday during a visit to Skopje, where he met with President Stevo Pendarovski and Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.

Signalling his impatience with the unfolding "Extortion" scandal that has rocked North Macedonia in recent days, President Stevo Pendarovski on Monday called on prosecutors investigating it to "leave their summer vacations aside and get to work" in order to uncover the facts.