Member states of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie

Former Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias says lawmakers should be allowed to vote freely, in a secret ballot, on the agreement with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) which he helped broker last July.

In the wake of a series of statements by Greece's junior coalition partner in which he threatened to resign over the Prespes name deal, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) Prime Minister Zoran Zaev on Friday expressed confidence that Greece's government will ratify the accord once it reaches the country's Parliament.

Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos has called on the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to shed any irredentist ambitions.

During a visit to a military outpost near the Greek-FYROM border on Wednesday, Kammenos said that Greece wanted to maintain peaceful ties with its Balkan neighbor.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Monday touted Greece's economic achievements following the country's exit from its eight-year bailout era, saying it is a safe destination for investments.

Albanian police say a Greek policeman has been arrested after he was found with a pistol.

A statement Saturday said that 98 other Greeks were denied entry to the country due to a lack of documentation or being on a list of banned persons.

Germany's ambassador in Greece, Jens Ploetner, sought to end a positive message on the prospects of the Greek economy at the launch in Berlin of a conference about southeastern Europe jointly organized by the Hellenic-German Chamber of Commerce and The Economist.

Greece's fleet is in a constant state of readiness to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Hellenic Navy Commander Admiral Nikos Tsounis said on Friday.

Whenever the passage of Turkish vessels in the Aegean is deemed to be of concern, there is a Greek response, Tsounis said.

On Thursday and Friday, 22 and 23 November, the Fourth Ministerial Meeting between Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was held in Thessaloniki. Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers of Economy and Development of the countries took part, reports European Western Balkans. 

Senior officials from Greece and neighbor Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia say progress has been made in talks to revise school books in the two countries as part of an effort to end hostility between the two countries.

An increase of at least 10% in the number of tourists visiting the Plovdiv municipality is expected next year, when the city will be European Capital of Culture, Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova said to reporters as she opened a tourism forum.