Macedonia naming dispute

SKOPJE - A common economic area in the Western Balkans is no substitute for EU membership, but an agenda of regional economic integration, Macedonian PM Zoran Zaev said at the Macedonia 2025 Summit in Skopje Wednesday.

SKOPJE - Macedonia 2025 co-founder and board member John Bitove said Wednesday the Skopje summit needed to showcase the two models Macedonia should be striving for and that both of them indicated that cooperation between businesses and the government, as well as development of education, were necessary for economic progress.

SKOPJE - Macedonia will treat Pristina's UNESCO membership bid with exceptional caution and with the interests of all in mind, Macedonian FM Nikola Dimitrov said after a meeting with Kosovo FM Bedzet Pacoli in Skopje.

NATO is ready to accept new members. This applies in particular to the candidacy of Macedonia, reports actualno. 

The Alliance will continue its policy of "open doors" to welcome new members, US Permanent Representative Kay Bailey Hutchinson said.

In his words, candidates only have to meet certain military requirements as well as standards of democracy.

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has no irredentist claims against Greece, the Balkan state's foreign minister, Nikola Dimitrov, has told Kathimerini, adding however, that "Macedonian" identity exists on both sides of the border between the two countries.

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) hopes it has done enough to convince the European Union to start accession talks while a quarter-of-a-century-long row with neighboring Greece rumbles on, its foreign minister said on Wednesday.

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said a major step has been taken on resolution of the dispute with Greece on the name of Macedonia, France press reported.

The two recent meetings of foreign ministers of both countries in Athens and Skopje helped to establish friendly relations. "This is not a solution, but a big step was taken," the prime minister told Skopje.

At a joint press conference following their meeting in Skopje, the Foreign Ministers of Greece and Macedonia on Thursday said their discussions focused mainly on ways to revive stalled talks on Macedonia's name - which Greece disputes - possibly this autumn.

The sixth meeting on the Confidence-building measures (CBMs) between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) was held in Athens on Tuesday, focusing among other issues, on transport, energy, police cooperation, civil protection and culture.

The meeting comes after an agreement reached by the two foreign ministers in Skopje, on 24 June 2015.

Kotzias's one-day visit to Macedonia on Thursday will be dedicated solely to expanding the trust-building measures between the two neighbouring countries, an informed source from the Macedonian Foreign Ministry told BIRN.