Ethnic groups in the Republic of Macedonia

LJUBOVIJA - Building a bridge means we have not given up on ourselves and those who are the closest to us, Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic said in Ljubovija, western Serbia, after touring the works on the Bratoljub bridge across the River Drina.

It is important that we connect river banks, cities, states, the Serbian nation, as well as Serbs and Bosniaks, he said.

Bosnian Serbs in Visegrad, which was majority-Bosniak before the war, inaugurated a monument in the shape of an Orthodox Christian cross dedicated to Russian volunteers who fought on the Serb side, angering war victims’ groups.

The European Parliament has called on Albania to make sure the rights of all minorities - and specifically ethnic Bulgarians - are safeguarded and legally enshrined.

A European Parliament document calling on Albania to recognize a Bulgarian minority and legally enshrine its rights has prompted a harsh response in Macedonian media.

Macedonian news website Dnevnik.mk has described the EP move as "surprising".

BELGRADE - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Macedonia has expressed its outrage to the US State Department after Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher suggested it was not a country, and should be partitioned by neighbors such as Kosovo and Bulgaria.

The European Parliament is calling for the first time on Albania to recognize the Bulgarian community living in the country as a minority, EPP/GERB MEP Andrey Kovatchev has said.

The ban on Serbian music in the neighbouring Republic of Macedonia entered into force on Friday night.

Serbian music may not be played on local radios and TV stations. All Macedonian TV channels and radios observe the ban and, besides global music hits, they play Croatian, Bulgarian, Bosnian and Albanian music.

At the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Istanbul, it was proposed that a "European Muslims group" should be formed. There is an Asia group, an Arab group and an Africa group in the OIC, so why should there not be a Europe group? 

Of course, when one says "Islam" and "Europe," colossal issues and hopes come to mind. 

Acting Serbian Police Director Vladimir Rebic said on Tuesday there are some 1,000 migrants currently "stuck" in the country.

There are as many on the border with Macedonia, he revealed.

Hundreds of Kosovars in the southern town of Prizren joined the celebration of the Justice and Development (AK) party's victory on Sunday, some carrying banners with Erdogan's picture and chanting his party's slogans, others driving around waving Turkish flags.