Macedonia

Despite clear differences regarding Kosovo’s independence, Macedonia and Serbia must focus on their joint interests, the Foreign Ministers of the two countries said Thursday. Serbia’s Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic arrived today in a fist visit of a Serbian official to neighboring Macedonia after the country recognized the former Serbian province …

PRISTINA, Kosovo The leader of Kosovo’s Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) movement, Albin Kurti, was held briefly at the Blace border point between Kosovo and Macedonia late Tuesday (May 5th).

Fifteen US Congressmen have sent a letter to the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton calling for a speedy and just resolution of the long running name row between Athens and Skopje. The congressmen urge the US administration to review Macedonia’s role in contributing to the stability in the southern …

After nearly two years of silence, Skopje’s central municipality finally revealed details of the controversial ten million euros project for erecting several grandiose bronze monuments, including a giant statue of Alexander the Great. The statue of Alexander the Great, that will be erected in the city’s main square and show …

The two largest religious communities in Macedonia are so powerful they could breach the state’s constitutional secularism, a UN official visiting Skopje said on Wednesday. The Macedonian Orthodox Church, MPC, and the Islamic community have a substantial influence over Macedonian politics, the special reporter on freedom of religion and belief …

Outgoing Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski has warned that while a solution to his country’s long standing spat over its name with Greece may not be popular, a deal is essential and will bring long term positive results. Drawing a parallel with the Ohrid agreement of 2001 which ended the armed …

Government pressure against the country’s Constitutional Court must stop as it jeopardizes Macedonia’s progress towards the EU, political commentators cited in local media warn. They say that by attacking the latest court’s ruling to uphold a ban on religious teaching in high schools, the government led by the right from …

Macedonia prepares for closer ties to Kosovo, by establishing full diplomatic relations with its neighbour. An unnamed high level source in the ruling ethnic Albanian political party of Macedonia, told local media on Wednesday. A political move over which Belgrade could possibly become estranged, was announced shortly after the announcement …

The largest ethnic Albania party in Macedonia, the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, warned its bigger ruling partner, VMRO DPMNE, that its patience for resolving the burning Athens-Skopje name dispute is running out. The party vice president, Rafiz Aliti, said the talks for solving this row, which are hampering Macedonia’s …

BRUSSELS, Belgium Macedonia could receive a date for launching EU accession talks by the end of this year, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said on Wednesday (April 22nd) after a meeting with Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki in Brussels.