Republic of Macedonia

Workers are removing ornate metal railings protecting the government building complex in Skopje, in Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), under the new administration's drive to boost openness and reconciliation.

The dismantling that started Thursday had been a campaign promise by the left-led government, which took over in 2016 after a decade of conservative rule.

Representative Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Representative Michael McCaul, Ranking Member, have urged the US administration to support the membership of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) in the NATO security alliance.

According to the Ukrainian news agency Unian, Poroshenko also said that Russia tried to prevent the entry of North Macedonia into NATO.

Thanassis Papachristopoulos, a deputy of the nationalist Independent Greeks (ANEL), will reportedly relinquish his seat in Parliament on Friday, after lawmakers vote on the crucial NATO accession protocol of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia which will complete Greece's ratification process, Kathimerini has learned.

The leader of nationalist Independent Greeks (ANEL), Panos Kammenos, told deputy Thanassis Papachristopoulos on Thursday that if he does not give up his parliamentary seat by Friday he will be expelled from the party.

He was speaking on the day the newly-named Republic of North Macedonia signed a pact that will pave the way for the country to join NATO, Euronews said in its report, cited by Tanjug on Thursday.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov on Wednesday signed an accession protocol at the alliance's Brussels headquarters, bringing the Balkan nation one step closer to joining NATO.

Greece's foreign ministry submitted to the parliament's national defense and foreign affairs committee on Wednesday evening a draft bill on the protocol that paves the way for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to join NATO under the name "Republic of North Macedonia."

This happened when the alliance's member states signed the accession protocol, he said.

At NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday (6 February 2019) the Permanent Representatives to NATO of the 29 members of the Alliance signed the Accession Protocol for the future Republic of North Macedonia. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov.