Macedonia

Macedonia is marking eight years since the signing of the 2001 Ohrid Peace Accord, which put an end to a six month ethnic Albanian insurgency. The central ceremony marking the anniversary will be held in the winter resort of Mavrovo, situated near the north-western town of Tetovo, a focal point …

MACEDONIA Opposition claims that the 2001 Ohrid Peace Accord is a dead letter are unfounded, Macedonia’s Deputy Prime Minister Abdilakim Ademi says. The pact ended that year’s short-lived ethnic Albanian insurgency, promising the country’s largest minority official recognition of its language and culture and positive discrimination in state employment.

Albania should block Macedonia’s NATO accession if Skopje continues to neglect its large Albanian community, the head of an ethnic Albanian party in Macedonia says. Menduh Thaci, the head of the opposition Democratic Party of Albanians, DPA, told a Monday press conference that he considered asking Albanian Prime Minister Sali …

In an interview with bTV television on August 10, Bulgaria’s Minister without portfolio, responsible for Bulgarians abroad, Bozhidar Dimitrov responded to the Spaska Mitrova case in Macedonia. As reported earlier by The Sofia Echo, Mitrova is a Bulgarian national who has allegedly been sentenced to three months in jail for …

Skopje/Sofia – A diplomatic row over a prison sentence Macedonia handed to a Bulgarian national could signal growing ethnic tensions and further burden Skopje’s already stalled bid to join the EU and NATO, media said Thursday in both countries. Macedonia recently sentenced 23-year-old mother-of-two Spaska Mitrova to three months in …

SKOPJE, Macedonia EU representative to Skopje, Erwan Fouere, said on Tuesday (August 4th) that it is too early to assess Macedonia’s chances of getting a date for starting EU accession talks. Fouere declined to comment on the upcoming European Commission progress report expected this fall, saying Macedonia must implement the …

SKOPJE, Macedonia Parliament approved amendments Tuesday (July 28th) to the law on financing political parties, a precondition for accelerating the country’s EU integration process. The measure, which was passed without debate, is aimed at boosting control over and the transparency of party funding. Lawmakers must pass two more pieces of …

BRUSSELS, Belgium EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn voiced optimism on Monday (July 27th) that Macedonia and Greece can still resolve their long-standing name dispute. He said both countries are working to move the issue forward. The stalemate has affected Macedonia’s bid to get an official start date for EU accession …

SKOPJE, Macedonia The country paid tribute Sunday (July 26th) to the victims of a devastating earthquake that struck Skopje 46 years ago, killing more than 1,000 people. Official delegations laid flowers in front of a monument to the victims at the cemetery in the capital. The quake, which registered 6.9 …

Macedonia will follow directions given by the European Commission, EC, in deciding whether to establish a visa regime for citizens of Kosovo and Albania. According to Macedonia’s Foreign Ministry, this issue has yet to be discussed. Until now, citizens of Albania and Kosovo have travelled freely into Macedonia. “It is …