The majority of citizens – 61.5% – would vote “no” on a referendum on the name “Republic of Ilindenska Macedonia”, showed a poll conducted by M-prospect in cooperation with MCIC The majority of ethnic Macedonians, ie 70.5%, would vote with a “no”. The vast majority of VMRO-DPMNE sympathizers would also not support this proposal, ie with a “no” vote they make up 92.7% of the vote. Ethnic Albanians in 52.8% of cases answered that the Republic of Ilindenska Macedonia is an acceptable solution for them. For supporters of SDSM this proposa…
For President Gjorge Ivanov the erga omnes name is not an acceptable solution, stated the Office of the President of the Republic of Macedonia today. “President Ivanov’s position is principled, and at the same time is consistent with the views of all previous Presidents of the Republic of Macedonia. President Ivanov’s does not accept a solution to the name issue for overall use or erga omnes”, read the statement from Ivanov’s office. At the same time, they inform that the head of state will receive Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov…
The proposal, the Republic of Ilindenska Macedonia, was rejected by both the Greek side and the Macedonian opposition, and therefore negotiations could not be continue regarding that name, said Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, responding to a parliamentary question at parliament put forward by VMRO-DPMNE concerning the name proposal. “ We are close to finding a possible solution to the name dispute with Greece. We need to be careful not to hurt the process. I said yesterday some details about the process. Prime Minister Tsipras and I agreed…
Macedonia police stopped 43 illegal migrants on Tuesday evening hidden in a bakery van travelling on Kumanovo-Tabanovce highway, the police informed on Wednesday. According to the police, among the 43 illegal migrants, 8 of them are underage. 14 migrants are from Pakistan, 16 from Iraq and 13 from Afghanistan. The migrants were sent to Tabanovce transit center, whereas the driver is under home arrest for 30 days. On mid-May, Defense and Security Committee in Macedonian Parliament decided to extend the state of emergency along…
There is still no agreement over the name, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said on Wednesday. " There is no agreement yet. As stated by foreign ministers Dimitrov and Kotzias, the principles of the agreement have been defined and now comes the legal-formal aspect of the agreement. I believe a conversation between myself and PM Tsipras will take place these days - this evening, tomorrow or Friday. I expect a significant step forward and we will inform the public accordingly, " PM Zaev told reporters following a press conference obs…
Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov and a delegation of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation held talks Wednesday in Skopje on the integration of Western Balkan countries, including Macedonia, with the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). Dimitrov labeled the Western Balkans’ integration with and contribution to the EU's CFSP as vital for joint fight against present security threats, as well as for supporting the EU’s foreign policy. He also briefed the guests about Macedonia’s activities to that effect, notifying that the cou…
A team of Estonian national TV Tallinn has arrived to Macedonia Wednesday to make travel documentaries about several attractive locations in the country, such as the capital Skopje, its Old Bazaar and Fortress (Kale), Matka canyon, Saint Jovan Bigorski Monastery etc. The future TV shows are aimed to promote Macedonia’s tourist attractions on the Estonian market. TV Tallinn is the first Estonian media that will promote Macedonia as an attractive tourist destination, depicting via its camera the country’s culture, history, traditions, c…
There is still no agreement over the name, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said on Wednesday. “ There is no agreement yet. As stated by foreign ministers Dimitrov and Kotzias, the principles of the agreement have been defined and now comes the legal-formal aspect of the agreement. I believe a conversation between myself and PM Tsipras will take place these days – this evening, tomorrow or Friday. I expect a significant step forward and we will inform the public accordingly ,” PM Zaev told reporters following a press conference observing one…
Macedonia and the EU should ot miss out on this chance, said Defense Minister Radmila Sekerinska at the annual meeting of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) in Paris on Tuesday. " Macedonia cannot miss out on this chance, but I hope that the EU will not miss out on it too. The status-quo is never an option for the Western Balkans. Either we go forward or going round in circles with the same problems ," said Sekerinska. She referred to the developments in Macedonia and the region in a panel titled "Wes…
Border crossings leading to Greece (Medzitlija, Star Dojran and Bogorodica) will be closed on Wednesday due to a 24-hour strike of Greek customs officers. Traffic of passenger vehicles, lorries and buses will be interrupted, says the Ministry of Interior after receiving a notification from the Greek police. Passenger vehicles will be let through only in case of emergency. DEUTSCH/GERMAN
"I was informed by the Macedonian and Greek Foreign Ministers about the progress in the name talks, which is very encouraging and promising, but it is not yet finalized, I am optimistic, and even more optimistic when it comes to the Balkans. Step by step, we expressed our clear intention of joining, helping and supporting a possible agreement in the coming days or weeks. The EU expects it in order to join it when it is reached and announced." This was stated by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affair…
It would be frivolous for anyone to think about early parliamentary elections this year, said Parliament Speaker, Talat Xhaferi during a regular press briefing. “There can be elections when MPs disband. However, in a serious country with serious issues, it would be frivolous for anyone to even consider early parliamentary elections. If someone is thinking about it, he would want to profit politically, rather than considering state interests”, said Xhaferi. As for when the Law on the Use of Languages comes into force, Xhaferi says …
High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, this morning, after breakfast with Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov, issued a statement supporting the process of finding a solution to the name dispute. “ We are all very encouraged by the progress made between Skopje and Athens for the name, we will all work to support a positive outcome ”, stated Mogherini. Earlier, Dimitrov said that he and his Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias negotiated until late last night and reached a fr…
Nikos Kotzias and Nikola Dimitrov negotiated and reached a compromise on the name dispute late night. “We had a productive meeting, we have a framework that needs to be worked out and currently the legal teams of the two ministries in Athens are working on it. Now, we are planning an important conversation between prime ministers Zaev with Tsipras in the middle of this week, where we hope to cut down some important things from the options that are at play”, Dimitrov told MIA. The Macedonian Foreign Minister had an informal breakfa…
Organizers of protests over "the Greek character of Macedonia" have scheduled fresh gatherings across Greece on June 6, MIA reports from Athens. The announcements for the protests come after the latest developments in the name talks. Following protests in Athens and Thessaloniki, the organizers have now reached local authorities in other cities. "Through these protests, the Committee fighting for the Greek character of Macedonia will attempt to remind politicians in the country that the Greek people have taken a…
Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn says the EU is encouraged by the latest round of name talks between Skopje and Athens. Hahn, who attended Monday an informal breakfast organized by Bulgaria and Austria alongside Macedonia's Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov and his European counterparts, tweeted that the meeting was fruitful and everyone expressed wholehearted support to the negotiations. "Consensus in the room that a solution to the name issue will be a game changer…
More than 800 artists from 27 countries will take part at this year's 58. edition of the Ohrid Summer Festival, traditionally held between July 12 and August 20. Romanian opera diva Elena Mosuc (soprano) will open this year's festival, accompanied by tenor Calin Bratescu and the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Nicolae Moldoveanu. Mosuc is presently considered one of the best sopranos in the world, seen as diverse and expressive. Culture Minister Robert Alagjozovski told Monday's press conferen…
Football fans in Bulgaria are so fed-up with their team's fortunes they have asked if the club can play in neighbouring Macedonia. Supporters of Pirin Blagoevgrad — famous for developing talent such as ex-Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov — were relegated from Bulgaria’s top flight on Monday after a hotly-disputed goal condemned them to a 2-1 home defeat. Vitosha Bistritsa's Grigor Dolapchiev was flagged offside by the linesman but the referee waved play on and the striker took advantage to score his side's sec…
With the exception of “Reflection” on the iPhone X, Apple hasn’t updated their catalog of ringtones and alarms since iOS 7 dropped back in 2013. Since then, the company has come a long way with the quality of the iPhone’s speakers, but their tones haven’t adapted to meet those changes. That’s left an opening for others to create their own ringtones mastered for the iPhone. You might not think about how iOS’ ringtones and alarms take advantage of your iPhone’s specialized speakers, but sound engineer Ilija Cvetkovski does. Cvetkovski,…
MINA’s sources close to Ivanov have told us that the Macedonian president considered calling in the army during the coup on April 27th when MPs from a wild (albanian) tribe sang their national anthem in Parliament, followed by SDS traitors who raised both of their hands to count and vote themselves in power while in the hallways of Parliament. Ivanov considered bringing in the army and jailing all the terrorists from DUI and the SDS, however Macedonian taitors on US Embassy payroll and advisors to the president bluffed Ivanov into sub…
Macedonia will present the multi-author architecture project Freeingspace at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition organized by La Biennale di Venezia 2018, which begins on May 26 and runs through November. The authors of the Freeingspace project are: Dejan Ivanovski, Filip Jovanovski, Blagoja Bajkovski, Marina Tornatora, Lucia La Giusa, Alessandro De Luca, Vlado Danailov, Mila Dimitrovska, Gordan Vitevski, Aleksandra Šulevska, Slobodan Velevski, and Marija Mano Velevska. The curators of Macedonia's presentation in Ve…
There is no a final solution yet to Macedonia-Greece name dispute, but both parties are committed to continue the negotiations until they come to an agreement, UN mediator Matthew Nimetz said Friday in New York after two-day talks with the Foreign Ministers, Nikola Dimitrov and Nikos Kotzias. ‘ We had meetings yesterday and today, one and a half days of talks. What I can say is that the issues are well defined. We do not have a final solution to the issues, but both sides are determined to do enough to reach an agreement and work har…
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says the negotiations about the name of Macedonia that are held in New York are "critical" and "sensitive." According to him, it would be a "great victory" for Greece if a qualifier were to be added in front of the name "Macedonia." "We are defending the national position," Tsipras said after a meeting with Mayor of Thessaloniki Yiannis Boutaris, to whom he expressed his support. Boutaris was last weekend "attacked and injured by extrem…
The new generation of U21 (for players born after 1998) kicked off with a 1:1 away draw in their first friendly match, against Azerbaijan. In the first of the two encounters against Azerbaijan, Macedonia played a draw in a game where each side dominated one halftime. This was the first test for the players from the new generation, born as of 1998, that will compete in the next qualifications. The team was lead by the temporary coaches Zvonko Zlatanovski and Dobrinko Ilievski who were chosen to replace Blagoja Milevski for these two ga…
No constitutional change will be needed for a solution with Greece on the name of the Republic of Macedonia, the country's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev reportedly said on Monday, and expressed support for the name "Republic of Ilinden Macedonia". Speaking to journalists, Zaev said the name does not jeopardize the identity of Macedonia, and at the same time provides Greece with a compound name with a time qualifier. " I do not think there is a political party, an intellectual, a normal citizen who is insulted by thi…
At yesterday’s session of the Central Presidency, regarding the most recent proposal, the “Republic of Ilindenska Macedonia” in resolving the name dispute with Greece, the Alliance of Albanians called it a drift towards ‘slavisize’ the name of the country and is a heavy blow to secularism. “ The integration of Macedonia into the EU and NATO is an uncompromising strategic and political commitment of the Alliance of Albanians. They restated their viewpoint that they are against any tendency to ‘slavisize’ the country’s name in any form.…
Macedonian Television has organized the first TV duel today at 20:00h local time, with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, SDSM leader, and the leader of the main opposition party VMRO-DPMNE, Hristijan Mickoski, MIA reports. Last week this TV duel was initiated by the leader of the opposition party, and the thrown glove was accepted by the prime minister. Three TV channels showed interest to organize this television show with the first people in power and the opposition, after so many years. Stojan Trpchevski, MTV editor of the Information…
The photo exhibit In the footsteps of Ss. Cyril and Methodius by Slovak author Pavol Demes opened at the National and University Library in Skopje on Tuesday. Organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Slovakia, the exhibition honors the 1155th anniversary of the arrival of Ss. Cyril and Methodius to the territory of Great Moravia and celebrates the 25-year anniversary of the Slovak Republic. The exhibit, which took Demes three years to complete, features photos of historical monuments that remain from the times of the 9th-centur…
A Skopje court ruled on May 21 that Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev is not guilty in a bribery case brought against him when he was an opposition leader. The charges, from which Zaev was acquitted, are related to taking a bribe of more than €160,000 from a local businessman in 2013 to allow the privatisation of a land plot in Strumica, when he was mayor of the southeast Macedonian town. Zaev pleaded not guilty in the case, saying that the charges against him were fabricated when, as the head of the Social Democratic Union o…
The Macedonian government’s proposed new name for the country faces strong opposition at home and in Greece, damaging hopes of ending a 27-year dispute between the neighbours that has paralysed the ex-Yugoslav republic’s bid to join the European Union and Nato. Athens vows to prevent Macedonia joining either organisation, until it changes a name that it shares with a region of northern Greece and removes parts of its constitution that allegedly imply a territorial claim on the area. Macedonian prime minister Zoran Zaev and his Gre…
A Macedonian climber died on Sunday (May 20) while making a final push for the summit of Mount Everest, the latest fatality of the current spring climbing season in the Nepali Himalayas. The 62-year-old collapsed above Camp Three at 7,200m. "Our team at the base camp confirms his death," Iswari Poudel of Himalayan Guides Nepal, his expedition organiser, told AFP. Local media reported that the climber died of a cardiac arrest. It was the fourth death of the season. Last week a solo Russian climber died of altitude…
Greece has rejected the option of changing the name of Republic of Macedonia to the Republic of Ilinden Macedonia. This was the name that the Prime Ministers of Greece and Macedonia Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev had agreed after a four-way talk at the summit in Sofia on May 17 . Two days later, Zaev confirmed that this is the option acceptable to both sides. “ Macedonian citizens will also have the word. They will be able to vote in a referendum on the issue ”, said Zoran Zaev. However, following the Macedonian PM’s statement, it…
Ignoring opposition parties, Trump Administration ratchets up pressure for a solution Within 24 hours of the end of bilateral discussions on the sidelines of the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Sofia late last week, a new potential name — the Republic of Ilinden Macedonia — proposed by Macedonia Prime Minister Zoran Zaev in his close private sessions with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, leaked out of Skopje. By the weekend, the main opposition parties in both countries quickly rejected this new proposal as irredentist or otherwi…
The Vlach community in Macedonia marked Sunday the Vlach’s National Day (May 23) at a ceremony held in a Skopje hotel. Macedonia is the only country where the Vlach community is incorporated into the Constitution. May 23 is a non-working day for members of the community according to the country's law on holidays. "Macedonia is an example not only in the Balkans, but also across Europe, of how diversity should be advanced. We believe it is perhaps the strongest argument as to why Macedonia should be part of the European st…
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