Former Yugoslav

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) is spending the New Year's holiday in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki as the guest of the city's mayor.

Zaev and Mayor Yiannis Boutaris dined Saturday night in one of the city's top restaurants, serenaded by a Macedonian band playing Balkan folk songs.

Greece's centrist To Potami party on Thursday urged the coalition government to clarify its position on the name dispute with Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

"We are expecting to see the position of the government, not only of SYRIZA. There is no room for petty political games," Potami said in a statement.

For a number of reasons - most importantly the election of pragmatist Zoran Zaev as prime minister of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) - it seems that we can expect a coordinated and well-planned effort to resolve the lingering name dispute between Athens and Skopje over the next six months.

SYRIZA MEP and European Parliament Vice President Dimitris Papadimoulis has welcomed the efforts of the new government in Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to find a solution to the lingering name dispute with Greece, adding that a mutually accepted settlement would serve as a "passport" for the Balkan state's EU and NATO ambitions.

US National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster met with foreign ministers of Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) at the White House during which they discussed ways to deepen cooperation on fighting terrorism and combating violent extremism.

The parliament of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) voted in principle the bill to expand the use of the Albanian language.

In favour of the bill voted 66 MPs (coming from the ruling Social Democratic Union/SDSM of Zoran Zaev and Ali Ahmeti’s DUI) while 41 MPs voted against (coming from VMRO-DPMNE’s main opposition party, Nikola Gruevski).

Dozens of asylum seekers are gathering in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki following a call through social media for a march to Greece's northern border with Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to protest their inability to move to other European countries.

The renaming of Skopje’s airport from “Alexander the Great” to “Kiro Gligorov” (former Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia -FYROM- president) proposed diplomats in the country, an idea that seems to be accepted by Prime Minister Zoran Zaev despite the strong objections expressed by Nikola Gruevski’s main opposition party VMRO-DPMNE.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias last week laid out the government's intentions regarding the name dispute with Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). He also argued why a national wound which has been festering for a good 26 years must be healed by the end of next year.

After three months in hiding, Greek police have arrested two former FYROM secret policemen, Goran Grujevski and Nikola Boskoski, wanted in Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) for their alleged involvement in the country’s illegal wiretapping scandal.

The two men were arrested in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, on Wednesday under a warrant issued by FYROM.