Macedonia naming dispute

Northern Macedonia expects to receive a start date for talks with the European Union in October, Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov said.

For Reuters, he explained that this step is important so as not to discourage Balkan governments wishing to reform or young people who are otherwise seeking a "European way of life" elsewhere.

North Macedonia expects to get a date for the start of EU accession talks in October and is worried the Balkans region would be discouraged about reform if discussions do not begin, its foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Finland's foreign minister said on Friday his EU colleagues were increasingly hopeful they could eventually move towards membership talks with North Macedonia and Albania, though he gave no timeline.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva discussed the European perspective of the Republic of Northern Macedonia with her colleague Nikola Dimitrov. The two spoke in Helsinki during an informal meeting of the first EU diplomats with their counterparts from the six countries of the Western Balkans.

Efforts by North Macedonia's government to re-label public statues of historic figures, under a deal with neighboring Greece, have got off to a rocky start.
Overnight, vandals removed plaques installed Thursday on three statues in the capital, Skopje, of ancient Greek warrior-king Alexander the Great and his family, which clarified that they belong to ancient Greek history.

A ban on the use of the Vergina Sun in all public spaces in North Macedonia came into effect on Monday, as the neighbouring country implements the conditions of the name deal it signed with Greece last year.

Greek member of the bilateral historical and educational committee says the June 2018 landmark deal has benefited both Greece and North Macedonia - which should now be rewarded with EU membership.

North Macedonia needs to reform its judiciary to ensure it can handle high-level crime and corruption cases before the European Union can set a date to start accession talks, top EU official Johannes Hahn said on Thursday.

North Macedonia Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has congratulated New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis on his election victory.
"Congratulations for the election victory to the new PM of Greece," Zaev said in a tweet Monday. "I wish prosperity to Greece and to the Greek people. We hope to continue the cooperation between North Macedonia and Greece," he said.

North Macedonia changed the name of its army to abide by the provisions of the Prespes accord, the deal signed with Greece last year to end a decades-old dispute over the country's name, state-run news agency ANA-MPA reported Thursday.
The country added the adjective "north" to become the army of the Republic of North Macedonia.