Gjorge Ivanov

The visit of Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev to Bulgaria was a positive step in bilateral relations, while the signing of the friendship treaty will be a sign about a new type of relations, political scientist Daniel Smilov told Focus Radio.

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will pay a one-day visit to Slovenia on Saturday to attend a summit of the Brdo-Brijuni Process, hosted by Slovenian and Croatian Presidents Borut Pahor and Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic.

Bulgarian politicians have reacted sharply to claim of Russian President Vladimir Putin that the Slavonic alphabet had arrived in Russia from Macedonian land. Putin voiced this thesis while in a meeting with his Macedonian counterpart Gjorge Ivanov and his words were quoted on the Kremlin website, BNR reported.

Photo: kremlin.ru

Moscow has been "closely monitoring the developments in Macedonia," Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

This is according to a Beta report on Wednesday, that quoted Macedonia's MIA agency.

Putin made the remarks as he met with Macedonian (FYROM) President Gjorge Ivanov, who is on a two-day visit to Moscow.

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov, on a visit to Russia, is expected to meet President Putin on Wednesday to "discuss issues pertaining to further development of bilateral cooperation", Putin's office wrote in a press release.

"They will also exchange opinions on current regional issues and, primarily, on the situation in the Balkans," the same press release reads.

REUTERS

The US didn't resolve Macedonia's crisis, it made it much worse, and the fate of the Balkans is now in jeopardy because of the latest American-brokered "deal".

The head of the ethnic Albanian Besa party in Macedonia, Bilall Kasami, on Wednesday said his party's participation in a new Social Democrat-led government will depend on whether other participants propose ministers who are entangled in corruption scandals.

''Now everything is in the hands of the political forces in Macedonia.'' This was stated by the Prime Minister Boyko Borisov during an interview on TV+ and quoted by BGNES. The reason for his statement is the mandate which was given by the President of Macedonia Gjorge Ivanov to the leader of the Social Democratic Union Zoran Zaev to form a government.

Macedonia's Prime Minister-designate Zoran Zaev - who received a mandate to form a government on Wednesday - accused Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic of running a hostile "campaign", when talking about an alleged "Macedonian scenario" that would then create instability in Serbia as well.

SDSM leader Zoran Zaev (left) meets with President Gjorge Ivanov on February 27. - Photo: MIA

Macedonian (FYROM) President Gjorge Ivanov has given the mandate to form a government to the leader of the SDSM party Zoran Zaev.