Nikola Dimitrov

Ilhan Kyuchyuk, the European Parliament's standing rapporteur for North Macedonia, is on an official visit to Skopje. He has already met with North Macedonian President Stevo Pendarovski, PM Zoran Zaev, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani, Vice-PM Nikola Dimitrov, Minister of Local Self-Government Goran Milevski and opposition party leader Hristijan Mickoski.

Ljubljana – Foreign Minister Anže Logar addressed the fifth annual forum of the macroregional strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian region held online on Thursday, stressing that a green and digital recovery of Europe after the Covid-19 pandemic would be possible only in cooperation.

The EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, reaffirmed the clear and undeniable European perspective for North Macedonia at his meeting with the country's Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Dimitrov and Foreign Minister Bujar Osmany, who are visiting Brussels, according to the European External Action Service.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias held a telephone conversation with his counterpart of North Macedonia Nikola Dimitrov on Monday, the former said in a tweet.

He said the discussion focused on managing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and vaccination issues.

No more information was immediately available about the phone call.

EU ambassadors are to make a decision on Thursday on a draft document agreeing the start of accession talks for Albania and North Macedonia.

If they approve the draft, the decision is expected to be confirmed later this month by EU foreign ministers and prime ministers, who are set to convene, probably via video conferences, on March 24 and 26 respectively.

Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov has announced that the necessary organization has been set up to welcome some 200 Macedonian citizens at the Bulgarian border checkpoint Gyueshevo.

"They will be welcomed in the best possible way, both for their safety and for the health of the whole nation," Dimitrov told local television 24 Vesti.

"Do not attempt to enter Greece illegally - you will be turned back," he added in a direct warning to migrants hoping to enter Europe.

Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias was busy Saturday contacting his counterparts in several European countries, as well  as the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Josep Borrell Fontelles, whom he asked to convene an extraordinary meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council.

The foreign ministers demanded rapid integration in the Western Balkans.

Within a few days, the EU will decide whether to start membership talks with Northern Macedonia and Albania. This was made clear during a meeting between the foreign ministers of Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia and representatives of the European Commission in Thessaloniki.

Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias outlined Greece's concerns stemming from Turkey's stance in the Eastern Mediterranean and Libya at Friday's Munich Security Conference.