Greece–Republic of Macedonia relations

North Macedonia's Foreign Minister, Nikola Dimitrov, has said Greece has enhanced its status by negotiating and ratifying the Prespes Agreement that gave his country a new name.

Speaking at the Delphi Economic Forum Friday, Dimitrov said that the way a country treats its weaker neighbors says a lot about its character.

This was based on a notification sent by the government of that country to all members of the United Nations on the change of the name.

Security services in Greece and the broader region are concerned about the presence of dozens of ethnic Albanians in North Macedonia who in previous years fought for the Islamic State and other radical Islamist groups in Iraq and Syria, Kathimerini understands.

Opponents of the Greece-North Macedonian Prespa Agreement are up in arms about press reports by both the BBC and now the Russian state-run new service Sputnik that use interviews with Greeks of Slavo-Macedonian descent who speak about the existence of a minority in the Greek province of Macedonia and about state discrimination.

Bulgaria does not support any military intervention in Venezuela. This was said by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva to Darik Radio. She expressed hope that the scenario from the Middle East would not be repeated in the South American country.

''We are interested in being very close to Bulgaria'', said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Northern Macedonia Nikola Dimitrov. 

Former defense minister Panos Kammenos has said that he will submit evidence to judicial officials in the coming days that allegedly incriminate former foreign minister Nikos Kotzias.

The foreign ministry of North Macedonia on Friday issued a guideline for international media on how to refer to the country and its citizens, based on the elements of the Prespes accord signed with Greece.

Greek authorities started accepting passports by travelers from North Macedonia on Thursday which carry a stamp in Macedonian, English and French that reads "this passport is property of the Republic of North Macedonia," the neighbouring country's MIA news agency reported.

US President Donald Trump has lauded the ratification and implementation of the Prespa Agreement in letters to PM Alexis Tsipras and North Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.

Trump described the Prespa Accord as the most historic accomplishment in the Balkans since the Dayton Accord and praised the leadership of Tsipras and Zaev.