Difficult questions remained, continue the negotiations on the name
After a two-hour meeting between the heads of the Macedonian and Greek diplomats Dimitrov and Kotzias with mediator Matthew Nimetz in Vienna, Nimetz said that there was progress, but also difficulties that need to be overcome. Dimitrov said that the whole set of questions was discussed, and he assessed progress as conditional. There is progress in the name talks, but there are still difficulties that need to be overcome in further talks, said mediator Matthew Nimetz after a long-time meeting with ministers Nikola Dimitrov and Nikos Ko…
AFP: Macedonia - a decades-long quarrel over a name
The name chosen by the small European country of Macedonia at its independence 27 years ago has ever since been rejected by Greece, provoking an impassioned dispute, AFP says in its article on Athens-Skopje dispute, which also includes a chronology of events related to the issue. For Greece the name is part of its own cultural heritage, a source of pride as that of an ancient province that was the core of Alexander the Great's empire more than 2,000 years ago. The bitter row has stalled the efforts of the new nation to take it…
Zaev: Government terminates concession agreement for copper, gold and silver exploration at Kazandol site
Macedonian government has decided to unilaterally terminate the concession agreement for copper, gold and silver exploitation at Kazandol site, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev told a press conference on Tuesday. ‘The government is fully committed to Macedonia’s economic growth and protection of citizens’ health, which along the environment safety, is above all private interests. We send this message to citizens of Valandovo, Bogdanci, Dorjan, as well to all citizens of Macedonia,’ Zaev said. The government, he said, has decided to termi…
Macedonia: 139.009 employed in public sector
In the state administration, local self-government, and public enterprises, 139.009 employees were registered in the joint-stock companies under state ownership. Without temporary employment and without employees in joint-stock companies, there are 128,722 employees across 1,299 institutions, said Minister of Information Society and Administration Damjan Mancevski at today’s briefing. Although the Register of Public Sector Employees is not fully functional, for which 2.15 million Euros were set aside in 2014 and 2015, the Ministry of …
Macedonia and Greece with name talks in Vienna
Today in the capital of Austria meeting of the heads of diplomats of Macedonia and Greece with the United Nations mediator for the name difference, Matthew Nimetz, will be held. Dimitrov and Kotzias should present the draft agreements of the two countries, and then within the framework of United Nations resolutions 817 and 845, the mediator should offer his own document to overcome the difference. During his visit to Macedonia, the Greek Foreign Minister demanded constitutional changes, he still remains in the same position, while…
Shcherbak: In case of an eventual war between Russia and NATO, Macedonia will be a legitimate target
At yesterday’s press conference, Russian Ambassador to Macedonia, Oleg Shcherbak, while discussing the tragedy which took place in a mall in the Siberian city of Kemerovo, where 64 people lost their lives in a fire, he also sent out warnings, following the expulsion of a Russian diplomat from Macedonia . Shcherbak warned Macedonia regarding its intention to become a NATO member. He also warned of military action against Macedonia, in case of an attack against Russia by NATO. “ If it came to a conflict between Russia and NATO, you will…
Less than 20 Percent shop online in Macedonia
A mere 19.5% of internet users in Macedonia have shopped online in the past 12 months, show data of the State Statistical Office and Eurostat. 59% of the users have never ordered something online, whereas 18% said they have never done it because they don't have the right skills. The data were unveiled Thursday by the newly established Macedonian E-Commerce Association, which is preparing a comprehensive analysis on e-commerce in Macedonia. Nina Angelovska, Grouper.mk CEO and chairwoman of the Association, said that the lack of…
Exhibit on frescoes in Kurbinovo church St.Gjorgji
Exhibit "Restoration of Painting in Church 'St.Gjorgji' in Kurbinovo - Masterpiece of Byzantine Art in Macedonia" will open in the Museum of the City of Skopje on Wednesday. The exhibit presents the results of project "Macedonian Frescoes - Masko 360", implemented by association "Makedonida", in cooperation with the Faculty of Christian Archaeology and Byzantine Art History within the Goettingen University, and supported by the German Max Planck Society and Macedonia's Office for Cultural Heri…
Greek defense min: No use of 'Macedonia' in name dispute
The leader of the Greek government's junior coalition partner says his party will not accept any solution in a name dispute with neighboring Macedonia that includes any derivative of the term "Macedonia." Panos Kammenos, who is Greece's defense minister, said in a television interview Tuesday his right-wing Independent Greeks party will "prevent in any way the use of the term 'Macedonia'" in the neighboring country's name. The two countries have disagreed for a quarter-century over the forme…
Macedonia’s president considers decision to expel Russian diplomat 'hasty and wrong'
Macedonia, as a long time candidate country for EU membership, follows the EU’s policy, and their decisions made by consensus at the EU level. However, even at the EU level there are numerous member countries who often disagree and do not follow dictates by Brussels. Since the decisions to expel Russian diplomats do not represent an expression of harmonized views of all EU member states, but it is about individual decisions of individual member states, the President of the Republic of Macedonia believes that the decision of the Macedo…
Skopje expels Russian diplomat, while in Moscow the 'Days of a Macedonian Winter' takes place
In Macedonia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided to expel a Russian diplomat regarding the “Skripal” case , while in Moscow, the “Days of a Macedonian Winter” event took place at the huge complex “Food City”. At the event, which will last until tomorrow, five Macedonian companies are taking part. “Ajvar is expected to cause the most interest, along with other Macedonian products such as cottage cheese with peppers, gherkins, gambi, sweet and chilli lutenica and pekmez made from various fruits which are abundant in Macedonia. …
Over 300,000 annual flights over Macedonia, pollution to be determined
National aviation institutions are prepared to meet the obligations that Macedonia and other members of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have undertaken under the Carbon offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). There are over 300,000 annual flights over Macedonia and the amount of carbon emissions is the topic of Monday's workshop in Skopje, organized by ICAO and the Civil Aviation Agency (CAA). Over 100 representatives from the aviation field in Europe are trained how to draft e…
Macedonian-born freshman builds on his tennis prestige in US
It was love at first sight of a racket. “He watched tennis instead of playing with toys,” Sasho Jankulovski said through a translator about his son’s early childhood. Miami Hurricanes freshman Bojan Jankulovski was very different than the average kid growing up in Selo Gluvo, a modest village on the outskirts of Macedonia’s capital, Skopje. Before he could envision himself serving a tennis ball on the clay at the Stade Roland-Garros courts, where he played in the Junior French Open, he could recite the capital city of every Eu…
Qatar, Macedonia review cooperation
Qatar Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani yesterday met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister of the Republic of Macedonia, Oliver Spasovski, and the accompanying delegation, on the occasion of their visit to the country. During the meeting, they reviewed relations of cooperation between the two countries and ways of developing and strengthening them, especially in the security fields, in addition to a number of regional and international issues of common concern. Aft…
Macedonian minister maybe involved in Cambridge Analytica scandal
The Managing Director of the Rating Agency Nikola Spasov and the Minister without Portfolio in the SDSM government Edmond Ademi were part of the Cambridge Analytica network, which has been accused of improperly using information from more than 50 million Facebook accounts for political purposes, a study published on the Medium by journalist Wendy Siegelman shows. According to the network, the two Macedonian citizens were hired by the Machiavelli Strategies company, which was part of the Cambridge Analytica network, which exploited per…
Macedonia's gross electricity output falls in January
Macedonia's gross electricity production fell by an annual 29.4% to 510,025 MWh in January, preliminary data from the national statistical office showed on Monday. Net electricity output decreased 29.3% year-on-year to 480,193 MWh in January, Makstat said in a statement. Thermal power plants contributed the largest portion of gross domestic electricity production, generating 266,838 MWh, 27.3% less than in January 2017. Combined heat and power plants followed with 116,144 MWh in the first month of the year, down by 31.8% c…
Macedonia expels Russian diplomat after consultations with EU and NATO
Macedonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) issued a press release Monday saying it has decided to expel one Russian diplomat over the poisoning of Russian ex-spy in the UK. ‘The Ministry of Foreign Affairs after close consultations with our EU, NATO allies, partners and in a gesture of solidarity with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has decided to expel one Russian diplomat over the Skripal case in line with the Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961,’ MoFA said in a press relea…
Albania should recognize Macedonia's constitutional name, urges organization
The Tirana-based association of the community of Macedonians in Albania has urged official Tirana to recognize the constitutional name of the Republic of Macedonia. " On behalf of all Macedonians living in Albania, we have submitted a request on the recognition of the constitutional name of our motherland to President Ilir Meta, PM Edi Rama, Parliament Speaker Gramoz Ruci, and to the leaders of the opposition parties, " the organization's president Nikola Gjurgjaj told MIA. "The recognition of the Republic of Ma…
Americans order pizza via Macedonia-based call center
10,000 pizzerias in 2,000 cities in the United States receive orders via a call center based in Macedonia. Namely, Slice is located in the southwestern towns of Debar and Ohrid, where 300 employees support 10,000-20,000 clients a day in the United States. Slice is an investment of Ilir Selja, a Debar-born businessman who has been living and working in the US for two decades. "It is one of the most important investments that has been yielding positive results in cutting down the unemployment rate, especially among young people…
Over 70% of Greeks against name solution with the term Macedonia
71.7% and 74.5% of the citizens in Greece say they do not approve a name solution that would include the term Macedonia, show results of two different opinion polls published in the newspapers Kathimerini and Proto Thema. The Greek Institute for Research and Analysis 'Dianeosis' between January 16 and February 5 conducted a survey with one of the many questions referring to the name issue. Reporting on the findings, Kathimerini wrote on Sunday that 71.7% of the Greeks interviewed for the survey said that their country shou…
Macedonia set for census in 2020, State Statistical Office Director tells BIRN
The census of national population is planned to take place in 2020, State Statistical Office Director Apostol Simovski says in an interview with BIRN. Simoski says he will not succumb to any pressure regarding the operation, especially political one, as the census should provide information not only of the ethnic structure of a country, but also of its overall development. ‘Presidential and parliamentary elections are to be held in Macedonia in 2019 and 2021 respectively, so we have decided to schedule the census for 2020 – a year…
Zaev – Kotzias: It is time for decisions and a compromise acceptable to both sides
Zoran Zaev met with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias, who is currently on a two-day official visit to Macedonia. Zaev said that this meeting coincides with an extremely positive moment in time, where long-lasting solutions for bilateral issues in the region are expected in the perspective of the European Union’s expectations. “The focus of our talks must be the future between the two countries. We need to be decisive, and take steps that will lead us closer to a solution of the only open issue between our two nations. I am con…
Macedonian President does not change position on Law on Languages
President Gjorge Ivanov remains on the already stated position on the Law on the Use of Languages and the signing of the decree for its promulgation, the President’s office confirmed for MIA.3 After the repeated vote on the bill on March 14, Ivanov in an address to the public said that he would not sign the decree for its promulgation saying that the Constitution and his conscience did not allow him to. The Law on the Use of Languages was passed Wednesday in Parliament in a tense atmosphere by 64 votes in favor and none against or…
The New York Times: What’s in a Name? For Macedonia, the Key to Peace and Security
The New York Times Gevgelija From the time he was a high school student and made his first discovery — graves dating to the Iron Age and coins 3,000 years old — Emil Slamkov said he wanted to be an archaeologist. “For me, it is a chance to discover what the earth is hiding,” he said. “And then to try and find a way to bring it back to life and give meaning to what came before.” In the Balkans, however, giving meaning to the past can be a fraught business. In recent years, Mr. Slamkov, 52, has found his skills in demand a…
Turkish agency donates technical equipment to National Conservation Centre
The National Conservation Centre received Thursday technical equipment from the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), a donation comprised of 26 PCs, a plotter, seven printers and a back-up server. Culture Minister Robert Alagjozovski attended the event, saying it is a proof of the excellent cooperation and support from TIKA and Turkey in general, especially in the protection of cultural heritage. "We believe this donation will enhance the capacities of the National Conservation Centre. We expect this strategic …
Macedonian premiere of Milco Mancevski's Bikini Moon
The Macedonian premiere of Milcho Manchevski's fifth feature film, Bikini Moon, will take place Thursday evening at Skopje's Millenium movie theater. Bikini Moon had its world premiere at the São Paulo International Film Festival in Brazil, and US audiences first saw it during the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, California. The first European screening of Manchevski's fifth film was at the 38. Fantasporto International Film Festival in Portugal, where it won the Jury's Special Award. The movie was shown at…
Macedonian Diaspora Money Exceeds FDI by 600 Percent
Macedonians working abroad sent a record 1.3 billion euros back home last year, at least six times more than the country attracted in foreign investment. Private money transfers from Macedonians working abroad reached 1.366 billion euros in 2010, latest data from the Central Bank show. This is some 230 million euros more than in 2009 and 380 million euros more than in 2008. By comparison, Macedonia attracted only 222 million euros in Foreign Direct Investment, FDI, in 2010. Most money comes from Macedonian communities in…
Macedonia extended visa-free stay privilege for Russians
Macedonia has extended the visa-free stay privilege for citizens of Russia for one year, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in the message. According to the statement, the Macedonian Foreign Ministry said that on March 13, 2018 the Macedonian government decided to cancel visa requirements for Russian citizens on short-term trips to Macedonia for another year. As before, it is enough for Russian citizens to have a valid foreign passport and insurance to enter Macedonia. "This procedure applies only to short-term trips - a perio…
Greece runs out of money - Amphipolis archaeological study misses funding
Three-and-a-half years after archaeologists brought to light an ancient macedonian tomb dating to the era of Alexander the Great near Amphipolis in northern Greece, work related to the mysterious burial site appears to have come to a standstill. In 2015 the greek conservative government earmarked 236,000 euros for a two-year anthropological study, but the contract expired last summer before any action was taken, greek paper Kathimerini reports. The study was to have involved an analysis of some 1,000 bone fragments found in the b…
US supports resolution of name dispute as soon as possible, State Department
The United States continues to support ongoing United Nations-led talks on the Macedonia name issue and urges its Parliament to focus on the needed reforms, says the US Department of State. In a statement to MIA ahead of Thursday's visit to Skopje of the Greek Foreign Minister, a Department of State spokesperson said the US supports also the resolution of this long-standing disagreement as soon as possible. " We hope that the leaders of Macedonia and Greece will find a mutually agreeable solution to the name dispute as so…
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