Nikola Dimitrov

Former prime minister and leader of leftist SYRIZA, Alexis Tsipras, was awarded the Nikos Nikiforidis Peace Prize on Tuesday for the Prespa Agreement that was reached in 2018 between Greece and the then Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), resolving a long-standing dispute between the two countries./p>

The use of the term "Macedonia" by North Macedonia's new government "does not constitute a violation of the Prespa Agreement," North Macedonia's foreign minister has said.

The former foreign minister of North Macedonia and one of the signatories of the name deal with Greece in 2018, Nikola Dimitrov is cautiously optimistic that the Prespa Agreement will survive the recent shift in the political landscape in Skopje.

Geopolitics, security and diplomacy will be some of the main issues discussed at this year's Delphi Economic Forum (DEF) scheduled to take place from April 10 to April.

Talks will focus on the developments in Ukraine and in the Middle East as well as on the Western Balkans EU course, the transatlantic relations and others.

The situation in some parts of the Western Balkans is volatile and problematic in the rest.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken left the Macedonian capital late last night, an hour before the arrival of Russia's No. 1 diplomat, Sergey Lavrov. Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mariya Gabriel also left Skopje on Wednesday evening to avoid attending today's OSCE meeting, which is also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

North Macedonian authorities have expelled one more Russian diplomat, Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani confirmed at a press conference on Tuesday. 

"The information is correct," he said when asked if the country was expelling a Russian diplomat. "Since the information of this sort is confidential, I can't go into much detail."

Less than a week before the June 22 EU Council opens, North Macedonia's leaders are travelling to neighbouring Bulgaria to explore a possible breakthrough in their dispute that would prompt Sofia to lift its blockade on the start of Skopje's EU accession talks.

Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, will pay a visit to Sofia before June 20th. This is what Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and PM Zaev agreed in Brussels.

Germany's Minister for Europe, Michael Roth, said on a visit to Skopje that there is a chance of a breakthrough between Bulgaria and North Macedonia that would allow the start of North Macedonia's much-delayed EU accession talks on June 22 in the EU Council.