Macedonia

Currently major priority of the new deputy prime minister in charge of European integration, Teuta Arifi is completing the tasks of the EU Commission annual report about Macedonia. Teuta Arifi said: “It is early to say whether positive or negative, but we are going to receive good and correct report”. …

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov said that the European leaders should convince Greek Prime Minister Georgios Papandreou that Greece would not lose anything if Macedonia and the EU start the accession talks. In Ivanov’s words, some EU member states back Macedonia’s position that the country could hold parallel talks the EU …

Macedonian parliament on Wednesday will vote on the new cabinet of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and its programme. The programme of the new government has three major goals and they are enhancing the ergonomic growth, country’s EU and NATO integration and the fight against corruption and organised crime.

After a day-long discussion, Macedonia’s ruling coalition voted on Tuesday to abandon four war-crimes cases related to the 2001 conflict.

Paul Wohlers told the US Senate on Thursday that he would did his best to help the country proceed on the path to full Euro-Atlantic integration. The new ambassador is expected to come in Skopje

Talks between the VMRO-DPMNE and the Union for Democratic Integration (DUI) ended up successfully. It is expected by the end of the week for mandate-holder Nikola Gruevski to announce the line-up and the programme of the new government. 

Macedonia should complete the reforms so as to start the accession talks with the EU despite that the name issue has not been solved, said Polish Ambassador to Skopje Carol Bahura.

Presidents of four Balkan nations are forging stronger bonds between their countries in a regional meeting underway in Ohrid, Macedonia. 

Macedonia and Croatia initialed an agreement on extradition of nationals. Macedonian Justice Minister Mihajlo Manevski said it will immediately be delivered to the governments of both countries and will enter into force after ratification by the national parliaments.

Macedonia is soon to sign bilateral extradition treaties with Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro, which are expected to halt the practice of individuals abusing their dual citizenship to escape justice.