Macedonia getting closer to solving name row with Greece

Macedonia has never been closer to solving its 25-year name row with Greece, but even if it fails Skopje will continue to integrate with Europe, its premier says.

“I believe that we have never had better circumstances to find a complete solution that will last for centuries and will remain forever,” Prime Minister Zoran Zaev told AFP in an interview.

The long-running name dispute between Macedonia and EU-member Greece dates back to 1991 when Skopje declared independence following the collapse of communist Yugoslavia.

Athens objects to Macedonia’s name because it has its own northern province called Macedonia, and fears it may imply territorial ambitions.

“If the dispute is not solved, the world will not end,” Zaev said.

“We will bring Europe here to Skopje (the capital). And we will push an European agenda one way or another.”

Because of the dispute, Macedonia was forced to join the United Nations under the name the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

Greek veto threats have also hampered Skopje’s bid to become a member of the European Union and the NATO military alliance.

UN mediated talks to settle the row have resumed since Zaev’s Social Democrats won elections last year, ousting the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party of Nikola Gruevski after more than ten years in power.

The negotiations have made progress after Macedonia agreed in February to change the name of the capital’s Alexander the Great airport to Skopje International Airport, in a goodwill gesture to Greece.
Macedonia had also been accused of appropriating symbols and figures that are historically considered part of Greek culture, such as Alexander the Great.

The motorway linking Macedonia with Greece was also renamed the Friendship Highway.
Zaev said he was “satisfied” that “a huge part of the issues” between Macedonia and Greece had been solved and that he was optimistic about a final deal.

He has previously said an agreement could be reached by the summer. However, the 43-year-old declined to go into details about the ongoing talks, saying “it could destroy the entire process.”
Earlier this week the European Commission recommended opening EU accession talks with Skopje, an EU candidate since 2005, in a development Zaev described as “encouraging.”

“This is a message of open doors. That is very important for Macedonia,” he said, adding that more than 75 percent of Macedonians are in favor of the country’s integration into the EU and NATO.
However, “that does not mean that we should not improve cooperation with other countries, including the Russian Federation,” Zaev said.

Russia has openly objected to the aspirations of fellow Slavic countries in the Balkans to join NATO, most recently when Montenegro became a member in mid-2017.

“I want to improve cooperation with Russia,” Zaev said.

“(But) the Russian Federation should know that for us there is no alternative to NATO and the European Union. We will remain focused on that path. That is our absolute right, our expectation and how we view the future of this country and the people that live here.”

Time for Macedonia to End the ‘Name’ Negotiations with Greece

By Oxford Professor James Pettifer - A personal view of the "name dispute" between Macedonia and Greece: Macedonia must end the name negotiations.
As a sovereign nation, Macedonia must end the name negotiations because there is never a right time to resolve an issue in which one country/ethnic group does not recognize the other's right to exist.”
— Professor James Pettifer

OXFORD, UNITED KINGDOM, April 22, 2018   In a speech on April 15th, 2018, as reported in the Athens newspaper ‘Kathimerini’, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on Greece and Turkey to improve their relations and also stated that their current difficulties which have led to a military fatality last week are not a matter for NATO. At first sight this is a reasonable point of view, from a distinguished international figure and is a view that should be respected. But it is also bound to raise the issue in people’s minds, ’What is NATO actually for’ when two NATO members in the eastern Mediterranean region may be edging towards a wider conflict, in the view of many observers. It is against this background that the hapless Macedonian and Greek Foreign Ministers are continuing their weary rigmarole of staged meetings, where all that is on the table are a series of name possibilities, most of which have been around for ten years of more, and all of which offend major opinion constituencies in both countries.

If tensions were lower in the region, perhaps all this would not matter very much. Diplomats are the talkers of the international world and they need to find something to discuss. But the name issue is not that at the moment. The link to possible NATO membership is presented as a panacea to the Macedonian publics, where everyone with detailed knowledge of the situation on the ground sees that this is not the case. The country has been close to NATO for many years. Personally I remember interviewing the late President Kiro Gligorov back in 1994 when the Kosovo crisis was developing and I asked him what his policy would be if it worsened and refugee flows began in a future crisis. He replied that in the end Macedonia would have little option but to cooperate with NATO, and it did so, to the great credit of the people, with huge camps being opened at places like Cegrane to accommodate those fleeing war.

In the post-conflict period, the country has also had a good relationship with NATO, particularly by contributing infantry to international coalitions. So NATO has little to complain about in terms of the Macedonian contribution to the war against terrorism and international security. Policies of this kind can surely carry on under any future Macedonian government if that is what the people wish. The intense pressure being applied to the elite in Macedonia to change the name to secure full EU and NATO membership is not only morally bankrupt but also destabilising in terms of regional relationships.

The back ground to the NATO and EU pressure is also unpleasant in other ways. The two countries are being treated like adolescents, by the ‘grown ups’ that belong to the EU and NATO when in fact a good deal has been done quietly, bilaterally, to improve relations. People from the Republic of Macedonia travel on vacation to Greece and do business without difficulty, people from Greece are visiting centres like Ohrid and have a pleasant time and are made welcome. There are, however, significant human rights issues relating to the use of the Macedonian language, and cultural politics in northern Greece, and these must be dealt with. Remember that the European Court of Human Rights, European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance, and the United Nations itself, have repeatedly demanded that Greece (and Bulgaria) immediately recognize their large Macedonian minorities - as Macedonians - and end the persecution of them. Basic recognition of an ethnic group's basic human rights is an obvious way to improve relations, not worsen them as Greece and Bulgaria claim.

I started to travel and study in Macedonia and the region over thirty years ago, after making my first visit to Skopje in 1968 as an Oxford student to help with post-earthquake reconstruction work. I remember the fallen churches and minarets across the streets lying as piles of rubble as if it was yesterday.

Over those many years the governments in Macedonia have a good deal to be proud of, and many recent achievements have been forgotten by the ever-scheming international elite diplomats of the West and their spin doctors. For instance, the government of Gruevski and VMRO-DPMNE navigated the international banking crisis far better than Greece did, with a prudent policy that certainly negatively affected living standards but also brought stability. A strong central government was necessary to do this. That fact has been completely elided from current discussions. There are other injustices. The Berlin pressure to take thousands of economic migrants is particularly unjust given that German policy caused the migration crisis in the first place.

How should the ending of the talks be achieved? Macedonian governments hear more than enough from non-Macedonians about what should be done, particularly from international figures whose real loyalties may lie elsewhere. I am reluctant to comment but it seems to me the best way is, as a sovereign and free nation, that the Republic of Macedonia end the name negotiations because there is never a right time to resolve an issue in which one country/ethnic group does not recognize the other's right to exist. This is a point made by Macedonian Human Rights Movement International's Our Name Is Macedonia campaign.

Macedonia and Greece, instead, can continue the steady ongoing process of improving relations, on a case by case basis. Also, in my opinion, given the unfortunate background of foreign interference in Macedonia, a central factor in the current crisis, the government should not be slow to declare people persona non grata and remove their diplomatic or other visas if they can be shown to have been acting contrary to the interests of the country. If there are people within the upper reaches of the current government who would also fall into that category, well, that is an issue for the Macedonian people, not foreigners, to decide how to act.

--- Professor James Pettifer is the author of eleven books on the post-Ottoman Balkans and teaches at Oxford University, UK

Greece, Macedonia see progress at name change talks

SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) — The foreign ministers of Macedonia and Greece say they have achieved progress in talks aimed at resolving a name dispute between the two countries by the end of June.

Nikola Dimitrov of Macedonia and Greece’s Nikos Kotzias met Thursday at the lakeside resort of Ohrid in southwestern Macedonia as part of U.N.-assisted negotiations.

“Our discussions were sincere and covered all the issues under negotiations — on some there were progress, on others differences remain,” Dimitrov said.

Greece has accused the former Yugoslav republic of laying claim to its territory and ancient heritage and wants the tiny nation to add a modifier — like “North” or “New” — to the name Macedonia. Both sides have committed to a name change but remain at odds over constitutional guarantees and descriptions of ethnicity and language.

Athens says it will lift its veto to Macedonia’s accession to NATO if the dispute is resolved. The leaders of NATO countries have a summit in Brussels on July 11-12.

Kotzias, the Greek foreign minister, said tackling issues of irredentism — territorial claims based on ethnicity — remained the most important for Athens.

“There were positive steps. The issues that remain become the tough issues, but hopefully they will become easy ones,” Kotzias said.

Parties in Greece’s governing coalition remain divided on the issue, however, with the nationalist junior partner refusing to back a compromise.

Macedonian PM urges public awareness of Roma community needs

SKOPJE, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev on Friday urged for increased public awareness of the needs of the Roma community, during an event marking International Romani Day.

In his remarks, Zaev said in Macedonia the Roma community has been equal to all other communities since constitution changes made in 2001.

Macedonia has made improvements in most relevant issues regarding the Roma community such as housing, possession of identification documents, underage marriages, access to employment and health insurance, as well as in inclusion of the community in culture and education, he added.

"Another important thing is the political participation of Roma in decisions related to the enhancement of their position in the country, and Macedonia is a regional example in this regard," highlighted Zaev.

The Macedonian prime minister mentioned the example of Suto Orizari, the second smallest municipality in the capital city Skopje, as the only municipality in the world with a majority of Roma citizens and where Romani language is official alongside with Macedonian language.

Suto Orizari has 17,357 inhabitants with a Romani majority and in 2002 they represented almost 80 percent of the population

Sofia to impede Skopje’s Euro intentions?

The Bulgarian authorities submitted on 5 May a protest note in relation to the incident with the Ambassador to Skopje, Ivan Petkov.

On Friday, the Bulgarian Ambassador and his delegation were attacked and not admitted to the grave of the revolutionary Gotse Delchev, in order to bring flowers and commemorate the 109 anniversary of his death, a long-standing tradition of the Bulgarian representatives in Skopje.

The president of the country, Rosen Plevneliev, identified the incident as ‘inadmissible’. In addition, he also said that Bulgaria welcomed and would support the European aspirations of every state and that Bulgaria ‘will work for Macedonia's accession to the European Union’.

However, in turn, the former Yugoslav republic and its people had to show that they also support. Furthermore, the president stated that ‘if any country wants to be a member of this family, it must show by deeds not just words that it likes the other countries’.

The minister of foreign affairs of Bulgaria, Nikolay Mladenov, also named the act ‘inadmissible’ and added that it was ‘in conflict with the European principles and norms of respect for the memory of individuals who contributed to the freedom and dignity of a nation’. Mladenov also expressed hope that this incident would remain an isolated case because ‘ the ensuring of smooth celebration of historical dates and events is a sign of acceptance of European values ​​and the desire to develop good neighbourly relations in the region - the main condition for the adoption of EU countries’.

The Bulgarian prime minister, Boyko Borisov, said that Skopje ‘probably does not realize how much support they need from Bulgaria for their European membership’ and that ‘to hinder the country in its European aspirations would be a historical mistake’ because of the close cultural and historical ties between the two countries and their people.

It seems, however, that besides the Bulgarian authorities’ intention to leave behind the incident as soon as possible for the common brighter future of the both nations, the issue will not remain without a reaction on European level, either. The Bulgarian MEP, Andrey Kovatchev, issued a statement in which he expressed his deep disappointment of the action. The Head of Bulgarian EPP Delegation mention that what happened ‘did not correspond to the European spirit’. Moreover, Kovatchev also said that it was time for Skopje to put an end to the incitement to hatred against Bulgaria which was an unacceptable and retrograde practice from the time of Tito, Stalin and Georgi Dimitrov and which continued to hold hostage the European future of the country.

The Bulgarian MEP planned to deliver a speech during this week’s EP Plenary in order to inform the MEPs about the case.

Muselmaniacs in Macedonia Scream Death to Christians, Demand Killers of Christians be Released

“Killing infidels is a small matter to us”-  Tabari 9:69

The 7th century tradition continues while any attempt to raise awareness is instantly attacked by kwality journolists, Islamic headbangers and our complicit elites with cries of “racist-bigot-Islamophobia…..”

Read more...

Quintuple murder suspect says “plan was to attack police”

According to court sources, the suspect said this in front of several people but it is unknown whether he repeated it to investigative judges.

Makfax news agency has reported that all court appointed defense lawyers, including some of the most prominent Macedonian attorneys, refused to represent the suspects for the murder of five young Macedonians and a 45-year-old man on April 11 near Skopje.

The news agency has learnt that the arrested persons who decided to give their statements to the investigative judges said that they were only a part of the criminal group because they were poor and needed the money.

Skopje-based daily Utrinski vesnik writes that the investigation now focuses on how long the group was preparing the murders, whether it planned new attacks and who helped the perpetrators financially and logistically.

20 radical Islamists were arrested in the Operation Monster on May 1. Five of them have been charged with terrorism.

Only in Macedonia: Let's protest over arresting killers

Hundreds of mostly young ethnic Albanians protested in Skopje on Friday because of the arrests of people suspected of killing five near Lake Smiljkovsko, and several small incidents happened during the protest.

The protesters went from the Yahya Pasha Mosque at around 1:30 p.m. CET, after the prayer had ended, towards the government headquarters. While the crowd was shouting that they did not want framed cases, that Albanians were not just Muslims and that they were not terrorists, a group of protesters turned over dumpsters in the street, while another threw stones at the police and shouted offences against Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and DUI leader Ali Ahmeti.

A nearby bus stop was vandalized and protesters threw shoes at one police vehicle. The protest, according to the participants, was organized to express disapproval with government claims that the suspects for the murders at Lake Smiljkovsko in mid-April were radical Islamists.

The protesters carried Albanian and Turkish flags, as well as a flag of Saudi Arabia. The protest ended at around 3 p.m. CET, when the protesters returned towards the mosque.

The police had arrested 20 radical Islamists as part of the Operation Monstrum, who are all thought connected with the murder of five people near Lake Smiljkovsko. It is presumed that the culprits are among the 20.

According to Interior Minister Gordana Jankulovska's statement at the time, they were suspected of terrorism and, according to information obtained by the police, members of radical Islamist groups, and some of them had been to battlefields in Afghanistan and Pakistan. After the questioning, the police filed charges against five of the arrested, while 2 other suspects are still at large.


Skopje issues warrant for two suspects,releases 10

The Macedonian Interior Ministry issued Thursday a central and international Interpol warrant for two suspects for the recent murder of five men near Skopje, and released 10 persons who were arrested in the Monstrum (Monster) operation.

Criminal charges of terrorism were brought against Alil Demiri (27) and Afrim Ismailovic (32), who are charged with committing the murders together with Agim Ismailovic (33).

After a 48-hour custody during which their alibis were verified, the remaining ten persons arrested in the operation Monstrum were released. According to the Basic Court in Skopje, the Public Prosecutor's Office has not submitted a request for investigation against them.

Four men aged between 18 and 20 were killed in Radisani, near Skopje on April 12. Their bodies were found near an artificial lake, together with the body of a 45-year-old man. They all had gunshot wounds.

Former commander threatens with partisan war to protect Albanian population in Macedonia

Former partisan commander from the National Liberation Army Xhezair Shaqiri, commander Hoxha, has said he will start a partisan war to protect the Albanian population in Macedonia and the valley of the Morava River, Tribuna reported.

According to website the former partisan commander and MP in the Macedonian parliament held meetings with former commanders from the National Liberation Army and Kosovo Liberation Army and discussed the need to protect the Albanian population in Macedonia and South Serbia against ethnic cleansing and counteract the Serbian and Macedonian special services.

Tribuna claims commander Hoxha revealed the plans of the Albanian paramilitary formations to focus on Tetovo and close to Serbia’s border with Kosovo.

Commander Hoxha was born in the village of Tanusevci where an armed conflict sparked a civil war in Macedonia in 2001.

Days of Macedonian Culture in London

The concert of piano virtuoso Simon Trpceski with London's Philharmonia Orchestra at the "Royal Festival Hall" will open Thursday the Days of Macedonian Culture in London, held until May 14.

The event is organized within the Cultural Olympiad, in light of the Summer Olympics in the British capital.

Trpceski will perform Piano Concerto No.2 by Franz Liszt, under the baton of Philippe Jordan. The concert is part of his UK tour, including performances in Cheltenham, Bedford and Warwick this week.

"I am glad that my concert with the Philharmonia Orchestra will enrich the image and represent Macedonia at the Cultural Olympiad. Macedonia is a country that has culture and art as its flag-bearer. I hope my performance will deserve an encore and everyone will enjoy the event", said Trpceski at last week's press conference.

Days of Macedonian Culture also include exhibition "Made in Macedonia", including works by 13 contemporary artists, play "Henry VI" produced by the Bitola Theatre, performance of Stevce Stojkovski's folk ensemble, and promotion of edition "130 Volumes Macedonian Literature" in English language. 

Radical Islam in Macedonia - Video

Bulgarian ambassador to Skopje prevented from laying flowers in memory of Gotse Delchev

Hooligans have prevented the Bulgarian ambassador to Macedonia to lay flowers on the 109th death anniversary of Gotse Delchev in Saint Spas church in Skopje.

The Bulgarian delegation which is headed by Sofia’s newly appointed ambassador in Skopje Ivan Petkov and local Bulgarians tried to lay flowers at the sarcophagus that holds the bones of the apostle of the struggles of Bulgarians in Macedonia and Edirne region, Gotse Delchev.

Outside Saint Spas church the Bulgarian group was assaulted by an organized group of hooligans.
Bulgarian Dragan Popov, who was an eyewitness, said that the group of Bulgarians was barred from laying flowers at the grave and the Bulgarian ambassador did not lay any. According to him the Macedonians were from the antique wing of VMRO-DPMNE.

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev described the case in Skopje as intolerable.

The Macedonian ambassador in Sofia will be summoned to explain the case in Skopje when the Bulgarian ambassador was not allowed to lay wreaths and flowers at the monument of Gotse Delchev on his death anniversary, President Rosen Plevneliev said in the southwestern Bulgarian town of Gotse Delchev.

Macedonia's central bank cuts rate to 3.75%

Macedonia's central bank announced May that it cut its key central bank bills rate to 3.75% from 4% due to the sufficient level of foreign exchange reserves, newswires reported, citing a statement from the bank.

The bank also cut its projections for the country's GDP growth in 2012 to 2% from 2.4%, although the bank added that it expects an acceleration to 3.7% in 2013.

Bike video tour of Ohrid

Tour of Ohrid city and Lake Ohrid on bike.

1,500 protest in Macedonia after murder arrests

About 1,500 people have joined a protest by ethnic Albanians in Macedonia to demand a fair trial for five people suspected of murder in a case that has raised ethnic tension in the tiny country.

The five have been charged with terrorism-related offenses over the murder of five Macedonian fishermen last month. Two of the suspects remain at large.

The government has described the suspects as radical Islamists.

Protesters at Friday's rally in the capital Skopje chanted "God is Great" and "Albanians are Muslims, not terrorists."

Several youths threw rocks at police, but no injuries or arrests were reported.

10 000 Ethnic Albanians Rise against Macedonian Govt over Lakeside Murders

More than 10 000 ethnic Albanians protested in Macedonia's capital Skopje on Friday to demand a fair trial for five people suspected of murder in a case that has raised ethnic tension in the tiny country.

The five detainees have been charged with offenses related to terrorism and radical Islamism over the murder of five Macedonian fishermen near Skopje last month. Two of the suspects remain at large.

Protesters at Friday's rally in the capital Skopje chanted "Allah is Great" and "Albanians are Muslims, not terrorists." Youths threw rocks at police, but no injuries or arrests were reported, according to the BGNES news agency.

Some of the chants targeted Macedonia's Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, "Gruevski Is Terrorist", while others mentioned the Kosovo Liberation Army that fought an uprising against Serbia in 1998-99 in the ethnic Albanian province that is now an independent republic.

The Macedonian police on Tuesday arrested 20 ethnic Albanians in an operation in several villages around the capital in relation to the murder of five men near Skopje on April 12. The court later ordered 30 days' detention for nine of the arrested.

The bodies of Filip Slavkovski, Aleksandar Nakjevski, Cvetanco Acevski and Kire Trickovski, all aged between 18 and 20, were discovered on April 12 near Zelezarsko Ezero on the northern outskirts of the capital Skopje. The body of 45-year-old Borce Stevkovski was also found nearby.

Protestors in Skopje hurl stones at police, smash bus stop

The protesting Muslims in Macedonia’s capital Skopje have started hurling stones at the police, the local news agency Makfax reported.

The protest kicked off outside Jaja Pasha Mosque in Skopje and the incident occurred outside the government’s building.

The demonstrators also managed to smash the windows of a bus stop. Insulting words were voiced against Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and ruling Albanian party Democratic Union for Integration of Ali Ahmeti.

The group is now moving towards Gotse Delchev bridge in Skopje.

Macedonia may develop even outside EU, NATO, says German ambassador

“Macedonia’s development does not depend on the membership in the EU and NATO. The progress and the reforms may continue even outside these organisations,” said German Ambassador to Skopje Gudrun Steinacker, writes Macedonian Vecer daily.

In her words, Macedonia deserves the EU and NATO membership and the country has met all the criteria, but Germany cannot react in separation to all the rest of the member states.

“Geographically speaking, Macedonia belongs to Europe and it is a member of many European organisations,” Steinacker said further.

New USAID Project - Adaptation to Climate Change in Agriculture

USAID launched Thursday its new Adaptation to Climate Change in Agriculture project which will promote adaptive agricultural practices and raise awareness of the forthcoming challenges of climate change and the need for joint, community level responses.

Adaptation to Climate Change in Agriculture will be implemented by the Rural Development Network (RDN), the USAID said in a press release.

"Real progress to safeguard our natural resources for future generations will ultimately depend upon positive action at the community level by farmers, rural dwellers, and other local groups that have a stake in preserving their source of livelihood," said Joseph Lessard, USAID Macedonia Economic Growth Office Director.

He added, "I commend RDN's grassroots development approach that takes into account the needs and priorities of people at the local level."

The project will focus on the Mediterranean zone, including the Vardar region with parts of Strumica and Gevgelija, as this is the Macedonian region most affected by climate change.

Adaptation to Climate Change in Agriculture will target family farms that market most of their output as well as semi-subsistence farmers. The project will test and monitor techniques to find out what works best under certain conditions so that lessons learned can be replicated in more communities throughout the targeted regions, thereby helping to minimize some of the expected adverse global warming impacts on crops

Roadmap on goals from Macedonia-EU accession dialogue presented in Parliament

Vice PM in charge of EU integration, Teuta Arifi presented on Thursday a three-month report on past and future achievements made with respect to the process of EU integration. The report was presented before members of the National EU Integration Council and Parliament's European Affairs Commission.

Arifi underlined the launch of a high level dialogue with the EU as the most important event in recent months, announcing that EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule was due to visit Skopje where he was to hold a working meeting with members of the Macedonian Parliament.

Referring to the roadmap on goals stemming from the Macedonia-EU accession dialogue - which can be found on the web site of the Secretariat for European Affairs - Arifi focused on topics included in chapters 23 and 24 covering issues such as freedom of expression and media, rule of law, measures to combat against corruption and economic criteria.

The operational roadmap consists of over 140 targets related to the five key areas from the high level accession dialogue with the EU. Some of them need to be completed by June i.e. September and the rest should be closed by year's end.

Considering freedom of expression and professional standards, it is envisaged the dialogue with media representatives to continue, consultation meetings to be held with Council of Europe experts about changes to laws involving freedom of expressions. Special training are also planned to be organised for judges working on defamation cases.

With respect to rule of law, Vice PM Arifi pledged that the efficiency and capacities of the courts would be improved through various activities.

In view of anti-corruption measures, provisions have been envisaged for checking the contents of declarations of interests and a plan and dynamics for checking previous declarations for conflict of interest on elected and appointed persons. This segment also covers issues on the financing of political parties.

Advancement of the dialogue amongst communities is also envisaged, which is under the jurisdiction of the Secretariat for the implementation of the Ohrid Agreement.

Several issues stemming from the roadmap refer to reforms in administration, electoral regulation and revision of the voter's list.

Vice PM Arifi stressed that the government was not the sole responsible institution in the process and that the parliament, NGOs, citizens and other factors in the society needed to take part. "As soon as we become a member of the EU, each and everyone of us will feel the benefits. This is a great chance that needs to be used and a motivation for reforms needed to be implemented," Arifi noted.

SDSM's Jani Makraduli said the Parliament should be more involved in the drafting of the roadmap.

VMRO-DPMNE's deputy Antonio Milososki assessed the report as an objective picture pointing out that Macedonia had made a positive step in the EU integration process.

The chairman of the European Affairs Commission, Hajrula Mesini welcomed the pre-accession dialogue saying the process showed that Brussels had once again lent a hand to Skopje.