Macedonia naming dispute

Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova was sworn as the first female president of North Macedonia on Sunday and immediately reignited a diplomatic spat with neighboring Greece.

At the ceremony in the country's Parliament, Siljanovska-Davkova referred to her country as "Macedonia," rather than the constitutional name "North Macedonia"

The citizens of North Macedonia no longer consider Greece as a threat to their country but they remain concerned about Bulgaria and Russia, a survey of five Balkan countries has found.

The opinion poll, conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the US-based International Republican Institute (IRI), also found that Albanians consider Greece a serious threat to their country.

Political statements originating from Skopje regarding the potential integration of Macedonians into the Bulgarian constitution have ignited a diplomatic dispute between Bulgaria and North Macedonia.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called on North Macedonia to finish the changes to its constitution.

She gave a joint briefing with Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski in Skopje, where she is visiting as part of her tour of the Western Balkans.

SKOPJE - The government of North Macedonia said on Thursday North Macedonian citizens who remained stranded in Israel would evacuated on an Air Serbia flight on Friday.

In a statement, the government said it would cover all expenses of the Tel Aviv-Skopje flight.

The Republic of North Macedonia celebrates its Independence Day today.

"We have entered the decisive phase for the changes in the constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia. We all want the Bulgarians to be included in the basic law. And let this be final. But for this to happen, the parliament in Skopje must achieve a majority", said the special envoy of the German federal government for the Western Balkans, Manuel Sarrazin.

"Immediate measures have been taken in connection with the case of the attacked and beaten co-chairman of the association of Bulgarians in the Republic of North Macedonia Bekir Kadrieski in the town of Struga" - this is what Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel commented:

The Macedonian Ministry of Justice must send to the parliament the proposal for adding the Bulgarians in the constitution, a condition for the start of the negotiations on joining the European Union.

Former prime minister of North Macedonia Zoran Zaev refers to the benefits of the Prespes agreement for his country, Greece, and the wider Balkan region, in an interview with Kathimerini.