Radmila Sekerinska

BRUSSELS - The EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak said on Wednesday he had briefed the North Atlantic Council on developments in the dialogue and noted the significance of EU-NATO cooperation for regional stability.

Bulgaria's Mariya Gabriel has been appointed president of the Robert Schuman Institute, the European People's Party (EPP) announced.

Until recently, her name had been linked to a potential role as NATO Deputy Secretary General. However, that position was instead filled by Radmila Sekerinska, former Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has named Radmila Sekerinska from North Macedonia as his deputy. Sekerinska previously served as Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration and as Minister of Defense during North Macedonia's accession to NATO in 2020.

With the signing of the joint declaration with NATO, the process of military integration of the Republic of North Macedonia in the command structures and in the structure of the Alliance forces will be officially completed today, the electronic edition of the Nezavisen newspaper notes.

In geopolitical terms, unlike many other Balkan countries, especially Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia or Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia did not see North Macedonia as part of its immediate strategic interests in the region.

This will happen unless Skopje extradites 15 Turkish nationals Ankara accuses of taking part in a failed coup in 2016, the article said, citing Balkan Insight.

The defense ministers of Greece and Turkey, Evangelos Apostolakis and Hulusi Akar, said on Wednesday after talks in Brussels that technical teams from both countries will be tasked with drafting a framework of confidence-building measures in a bid to reduce tensions in the Aegean.

North Macedonia's defense minister, Radmila Sekerinska, says she's filled with pride as her country takes a seat at NATO's table for the first time.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday at a meeting of NATO defense ministers, Sekerinska said North Macedonia has "shown that change is possible if you have the right amount of political leadership."

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) wants to find a way to break the 26-year deadlock with Greece over its official name, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Radmila Sekerinska told the Guardian on Friday.

Police arrested the five people at their homes on Tuesday on suspicion that they were accomplices to the attempted murder of MP Zijadin Sela.