Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, whose country is holding the presidency of the European Union, thinks the time to solve the name dispute between Macedonia and Greece has come.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will pay an official visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday, in order to discuss the Bosnian settlement and bilateral relations between Russia and the Balkan state with its top officials, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz will pay for Russian gas on time, Energy Minister Yuri Prodan said on Wednesday. Russia recently warned of new gas crisis with Ukraine and urged the European Union (EU) to lend Kiev money.