Macedonia

On its third anniversary, politics are still standing in the way of full implementation of the 2018 Prespa Agreement that ended decades of dispute between Greece and North Macedonia.

At a ceremony in front of the Serbian parliament in Belgrade, the mayor of Ohrid in North Macedonia, Konstantin Georgieski, on Thursday returned a four-meter-long fragment of the old fence surrounding the Serbian parliament to its current speaker, Ivica Dacic.

US President Joe Biden signed an executive order on June 8 that foresees additional sanctions that target individuals who threaten the peace and security or are engaged in serious human rights abuse in the Western Balkans, the White House announced.

On June 9, Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev held a video conference with European Parliament President David Sassoli.

During the conversation, initiated by the President of the European Parliament, the two discussed measures to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, as well as topics on the EU agenda with a focus on enlargement policy.

North Macedonia's main opposition VMRO DPMNE party on Wednesday pledged to continue daily roadblocks until the Social Democratic government of Prime Minister Zoran Zaev "comes clean" over its ongoing talks with neighbouring Bulgaria over their history dispute.

"The European perspective continues to be a major driver of change in the Western Balkan countries and young people and the civil society in these countries play a key  role in this process," said caretaker Foreign Minister Svetlan Stoev on Tuesday.

Caretaker Foreign Minister Svetlan Stoev discussed on Monday with the ambassadors of EU Member States to Bulgaria priority matters on the Union's agenda, including the post-Covid recovery and the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, environment and climate issues, migration, and EU enlargement, the Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

North Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said he is ready to beg for a solution in Sofia, but is not prepared to sacrifice the Macedonian identity and language, adding that if the dialogue with Bulgaria is successful, talks may be held as early as 23 June.

The former MP, otherwise a member of Prime Minister Mitsotakis' New Democracy, based his assessment on talks with several ministers from the Greek government.
"History, faith and friendship bind us to Serbia. I believe in the government of Prime Minister Mitsotakis, which keeps its old friends and makes new ones," said Mayor of Katerini Koukidimos.

Greece will supply its northern neighbours Albania and North Macedonia with 40,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines, the government spokeswoman said on Thursday.