North Macedonia

China, however, has not changed its pragmatic position toward North Macedonia and remains interested in deepening economic cooperation with the country, regardless of the government in power.

In that context, relations between Skopje and Beijing are important to analyze.

In the presence of four presidents - Bulgaria, Albania, Kosovo and Serbia, and in the absence of the VMRO-DPMNE opposition, the new president of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, took office. There were also two former presidents of the state - Branko Crvenkovski - who rarely appeared at mass events and the former one - Georgi Ivanov.

Stevo Pendarovski has been sworn in as the new president of North Macedonia, promising he will serve all citizens in a deeply politically divided society and will lobby European Union leaders to approve the start of his country's accession talks in June.

Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Katrougalos will visit Skopje on Sunday to attend the swearing-in ceremony of North Macedonia's new President, Stevo Pendarovski.
Pendarovski, the candidate backed by the country's center-left government, won the presidency in a runoff election with a conservative rival in early May.

The Prespes name deal signed between Athens and Skopje should serve as a blueprint for resolving many bilateral differences in the Western Balkans, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Matthew Palmer was quoted on Friday by the Athens-Macedonia News Agency as telling Radio Free Europe.

As part of the anti-Gulen purges that followed the 2016 coup attempt, Turkey has called on North Macedonia and other Balkan states to close educational establishments allegedly affiliated with the Gulen movement and demanded greater action against it.

Zoran Zaev promised to take a 'broom' to top officials after the disappointing first round of presidential polls - but experts say the changes must come soon and must involve more than just a reshuffle.

While the authorities in North Macedonia seek his arrest and extradition from Hungary, the country's fugitive ex-prime minister, Nikola Gruevski, has said he intends to release a new book, based on his PhD, at the ongoing Skopje Book Fair.

During his first visit to Northern Macedonia, Pope Francis tried to encourage their efforts to integrate into the European institutions after the name change decides the decades-long dispute with Greece, BTA reported.

Pope Francis made the first-ever papal visit to North Macedonia on Tuesday and sought to encourage its efforts to integrate into European institutions after its name change resolved a decades-long dispute with Greece.