Macedonian government

Macedonian government and opposition MPs who backed the historic 'name' agreement denied claims that they had taken bribes or been offered amnesty in exchange for their votes.

The fate of Macedonia's historic agreement with Greece does not depend on the UN Security Council - where Russia has power of veto - the Macedonian government said on Wednesday, responding to fears that the Kremlin might try to block the deal.

During Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov's three-day visit to the US, Secreary of State Mike Pompeo has voiced support for the historic "name" agreement between Skopje and Athens, stressing the importance of its implementation for the country's Euro-Atlantic future.

Healthgrouper, a health service research NGO, has called on the Macedonian government to reconsider its plan to scrap charges for hospital stays from the start of next year start, arguing that this could cause negative consequences for the public health system.

Huge statues erected in recent years in the Macedonian capital of the ancient warrior kings Alexander the Great and Filip of Macedon - as well as that of Alexander's mother, Olympia - will be officially renamed and marked in honour of Greek-Macedonian friendship, the Macedonian government has announced.

The citizens who gathered in front of the Macedonian Assembly blocked a boulevard and several nearby streets, while the police was deployed to guard the building, MIA agency reported.

Plusinfo website said that a Molotov cocktail that did not cause a fire was thrown at the police, as well as several bottles, while a stun grenade was also activated.

With a sharp rise in foreign investments and significant increase in exports in the first quarter of 2018, the Macedonian economy has shown its first signs of recovery after the prolonged political crisis, which ended in mid-2017, nearly brought progress to a halt.

The 'name' talks resume on Friday in New York at 3.30pm Macedonian time, after Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov and Greece's Nikos Kotzias marathon six-hour discussion the previous day.

After the talks, the two diplomats did not give any statements about possible progress.

The Macedonian government on Wednesday survived a parliamentary vote of no-confidence brought by the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party over its handling of relations with Greece and Bulgaria. 

The vote was seen as a test for Prime Minister Zaev's reform agenda and policy of improving relations with the two neighbours as a step to joining the European Union and NATO. 

Russian embassies in Croatia, Romania and Macedonia have strongly criticised the three countries' decision to expel diplomats to show solidarity with Britain in the wake of the poisoning of double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia.

Albania, Croatia, Macedonia and Romania joined other EU countries in expelling some Russian diplomats on Monday.