The main zoo in North Macedonia’s capital Skopje was closed Saturday after authorities confirmed the presence of a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu.
NORTH MACEDONIA
North Macedonia’s conservative prime minister has reacted angrily to reports that his country’s troubled European Union accession bid hit a new hurdle because of a dispute with neighboring EU member Bulgaria.
Former prime minister and leader of leftist SYRIZA, Alexis Tsipras, was awarded the Nikos Nikiforidis Peace Prize on Tuesday for the Prespa Agreement that was reached in 2018.
The leftist SYRIZA opposition has urged the conservative government to condemn Turkey’s violation of the Prespa Agreement between Greece and North Macedonia.
Three days after the opening of the defense company ASELSAN’s headquarters in North Macedonia, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visited Skopje on Thursday in a bid to demonstrate the role Ankara wants to play in the internal affairs of North Macedonia and the Balkans.
US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O’Brien hinted on Tuesday that Washington is exerting pressure on the new government of North Macedonia to respect the Prespa name agreement signed in 2018 with Greece.
Balkan countries on Wednesday battled wildfires stoked by high temperatures, winds and a weeks-long drought with firefighters in Croatia saying the toughest day so far this season was behind them as North Macedonia’s emergency chief suggest the country should seek assistance from NATO.
Firefighters in North Macedonia fought a dozen wildfires fanned by heavy winds for a third day on Wednesday, and hot temperatures and dry weather also fueled smaller blazes across Greece and the Balkans, officials said.
North Macedonia said it was seeking further assistance from the European Union Tuesday to combat wildfires that continue to burn out of control in heatwave temperatures and have crossed the southern border into Greece.
The United States is working to ensure that the new government in North Macedonia adheres to the Prespa Agreement between Athens and Skopje, James O’Brien, the US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, has said.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis hinted at possible electricity subsidies next month in response to soaring energy prices during an interview with Skai TV on Tuesday.
Greece is prepared to support the resumption of UN-led talks to resolve the Cyprus issue, provided that the process has the backing of Nicosia, state broadcaster ERT reported Tuesday, citing Greek diplomatic sources.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ trip to the US for the NATO anniversary summit was dominated, if anything, by his strong messages to North Macedonia, both during his speech at the meeting and in the press conference that followed.
Greece has once again warned North Macedonia that failing to respect the name deal between the two countries will jeopardize the Balkan state’s path to European Union membership.
The use of the term “Macedonia” by North Macedonia’s new government “does not constitute a violation of the Prespa Agreement,” North Macedonia’s foreign minister has said.
In his first official trip abroad since his election, North Macedonia Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski on Wednesday referred to his country as “Macedonia” and his government as “Macedonian.”
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