Macedonian government

The FYROM (Macedonian) government said on Monday it was committed to building good neighborly relations with Serbia, Beta is reporting.

Skopje also "hailed statements from Belgrade calling for the protection of friendly ties and returning to usual practice."

An EU Commission spokesperson told BIRN that the diplomatic incident in Skopje "is a bilateral issue between the two countries, which the EU is closely following" in a statement Tuesday.

"We look to both sides to exercise restraint and deal with the issue calmly, in the spirit of good neighbourly relations," the EU Commission said.

The Macedonian government said on Monday it was committed to building good neighborly relations with Serbia, Beta is reporting.

Skopje also "hailed statements from Belgrade calling for the protection of friendly ties and returning to usual practice."

The Macedonian government says it will take into account the position of "the majority of EU countries" when it comes to voting on Pristina's UNESCO bid.

Beta is reporting this, citing Macedonia's TV Telma.

The Macedonian government has drafted a proposal to support Pristina's new bid to join UNESCO, Sputnik is reporting on Monday.

That is "one of the reasons" why the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to withdraw the staff of the country's embassy in Skopje for urgent consultations, the agency said.

Photo: Reuters

The new government in Skopje is stepping up its efforts with the goal of FYROM (Macedonia) becoming a NATO member.

Tanjug is reporting this on Tuesday, citing an article published by Bloomberg.

The change of Macedonia's name was "not discussed at any point" during the US-Adriatic Charter Summit in Montenegro earlier this week.

A spokesman for the Macedonian government Mile Boskovski said this, Beta reported.

''The Friendship, Cooperation and Neighborhood Treaty between Bulgaria and Macedonia was needed because there was tension for years. The initiative to sign an agreement came from Bulgaria due to the often hostile actions of both the former Macedonian government and scientists.''

Bulgarian and Macedonian PMs, Boyko Borisov and Zoran Zaev, signed on Tuesday in Skopje an agreement on friendship, good neighborly relations, and cooperation.

Zaev told a news conference after the ceremony at the seat of the Macedonian government, that his cabinet "decided to continue the policy of solutions, not problems."

 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva will leave for Skopje on August 1, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria said.
She is part of the official Bulgarian delegation led by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov that will visit Macedonia in August 1-2.