Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev is on Friday expected to present his government's proposed amendments to the country's constitution. The amendments are necessary for the ratification of the name deal signed with Greece in June under which the Balkan nation will be called North Macedonia. 

Direct flights between the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Greece are set to resume after more than a decade, amid a thaw in relations following a deal to rename FYROM "North Macedonia."

The constitutional amendments required by the Prespes accord agreed with Greece will be completed by the second half of January 2019, the  Prime Minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) Zoran Zaev said on Tuesday.

The strained relationship between Greece's two coalition partners appeared to reach a new low on Wednesday following Defense Minister Panos Kammenos's proposal of a potential alternative plan to the Prespes name deal between Athens and Skopje while on an official visit to Washington. 

An army patrol of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia reportedly fired warning shots in the air at the country's border with Greece on Wednesday to stop a group of migrants from crossing it, MIA news agency reported.

According to a press release by FYROM's army, cited by MIA, the soldiers "vocally warned the group on several occassions, but they ignmored the calls."

Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos on Tuesday predicted that the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) will fail to push through a name deal with Greece, while suggesting an alternative plan which, as he said, will serve the same geostrategic objectives as the Prespes accord without touching upon the name dispute between the two Balkan neighbors.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is the latest Western leader to have urged the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to move ahead with the implementation of the name deal it signed with Greece in June to pave the way for its membership in the European Union and NATO.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to implement a name change agreement signed with Greece in June so as to deepen bilateral cooperation and unlock the Balkan country's path to EU and NATO membership.

With the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's Parliament set to vote on the name deal with Greece on October 16, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg repeated on Monday that without its ratification, the Balkan nation will not be able to join the alliance.

With speculation mounting that Greece could he heading for early polls in May, the ratification or not of the name deal by the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) is expected to determine the hot-button issue of the election campaign.