Macedonia News Archives

EU member states decided Monday to grant visa-free travel to nationals of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia when entering the bloc's Schengen area, as of 19 December.

Former Minister Antonis Samaras won Sunday the conservative party polls and became ND's 7th leader. Samaras is seen as the hardliners΄ of the party mainly due to the stance he kept as a Minister on the FYROM dispute in ΄92, which ultimately led him out of ND party.

The prime ministers of Greece, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania, on November 27, sent a joint letter to the UN Secretary General, the European Union and the Danish prime minister regarding the environmental protection of the Prespes Lake region shared by all three countries.

Ministry of Economy signed Thursday seven agreements on concessions for small hydro-power plants with company "Mali Hidrocentrali"-Skopje. Ministry of Economy signed Thursday seven agreements on concessions for small hydro-power plants with company "Mali Hidrocentrali"-Skopje. The total installed capacity of the seven locations amounts to about ...

After a monmental clash with the until-now all powerful Mitostakis clan when Samaras was Foreign Minister under fellow contender Dora Bakoyannis - Mitsotakis' Prime Minister father in 1993 (over the Macedonian/Fyrom issue) Samaras stayed out in the political cold for 11 years ...

The incorporation of the SEECs into Euroatlantic institutions is a longstanding strategic choice for us - for Greece. And after a series of conflicts and crises, these countries are now closer to achieving social and political stability and economic development.

The decision for the commencement of accession negotiations with FYROM belongs to all the EU member states, and consequently Greece as well, and one thing is certain: a prerequisite for the opening of accession talks is prior solution of the name issue, alternate foreign minister Dimitris Droutsas explained in an interview with journalist Michael ...

An excavation by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki at the archaeological site of Vergina has uncovered an exceptional fortification structure surrounding the ancient Macedonian city.

Hooded youths caused serious damage to the premises of ThessalonikiA's Aristotle University early yesterday as academics warned that violence on campus is escalating and that they are becoming hostages to a small group of troublemakers.

- Traffic is expected to be normalised after 11:00h. when fog lifts, information office of the Skopje “Alexander the Great” Airport informs. The air traffic was disrupted Sunday afternoon. Air traffic at Ohrid "St. Paul the Apostle" Airport is normal.

Serbian President Boris Tadic will meet on Monday, November 30, with EU officials in Brussels. At a summit of interior and justice ministers of the EU on Monday, a decision on EU visa liberalization for Serbia, FYRMacedonia and Montenegro is expected.

Prime Minister George Papandreou speaks to his counterparts from Albania, Sali Berisha , and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Nikola Gruevski , during an informal meeting at the Prespes Lakes National Park yesterday.

Skopje Skopje Slovenia wants Macedonia to join the European Union as soon as possible and welcomes the scrapping of the EU's visa requirement, visiting Slovenian Interior Minister Katarina Kresal said on Tuesday in Skopje.

FYROM's academic historiography has traditionally embraced the extreme nationalist view which characterised Slavomacedonian historians since the 1940's. In fact today we can state safely that Stefan Troebst's description in his "Die bulgarisch-jugoslawische Kontroverse um Makedonien" not only is still applying, but it has became worst during the last years.

Economy, competitiveness and shipping minister Louka Katseli stressed the importance placed on the Greek government, through a network of actions, on rendering Greece an attraction for investments and on strengthening the country's presence on the SE European markets and also the extroversion of Greek enterprises in the midst of the crisis, during ...

The leaders of Greece, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM) and Albania on Friday agreed to sign a tripartite agreement in early February for the greater environmental protection of the ecologically significant Prespes Lake region shared by all three countries.

Greek, Albanian and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonian prime ministers have reached an agreement to co-operate in protection and development of the region of Prespa Lakes, Greek Express online edition informed.

The prime ministers of Greece, Albania and FYROM met informally on Friday in the Prespes Lakes region of northwestern Greece, following an initiative of Greek Premier George Papandreou, to discuss prospects of cooperation in the protection and viable development of the Prespes National Park region , which straddles the borders of all three ...

Dear Editor, We are writing to you regarding two pages of your online encyclopedia, under the section "Countries of the world". As an Australian-Greek organization we are extremely disappointed with the sections aforementioned, as in the first article ...

SKOPJE, Macedonia -- Police announced on Wednesday they have intercepted 44kg of high-quality heroin allegedly destined for the Italian market.

Kosovo honours a hero. To the hero the spoils? Brushing a lock of hair from her face and gazing into her eyes, the former president asks the comeliest government official to hand, "So what did you think of my speech?" No Monica she, her answer stays on the vertical and is rather better sculpted than the two and half-metre effigy just unveiled ...

Karl Bildt, the foreign minister of Sweden, the country presiding over the European Union, arrived in Skopje in the evening of Nov. 26.

In the first six months of this year, Greece withdrew its capital in the amount of EUR 76.32m from FYRMacedonia, while Great Britain withdrew EUR 51.29m. This year Greece and Great Britain withdrew their capital from FYRMacedonia.

Turkey's geopolitical objectives aim to control small countries such as FYROM that have been formerly dominated by the Turkish Islamic Ottoman Empire.

Serbian Deputy PM Bozidar Deliae said in Skopje on Friday that Belgrade recognizes Macedonia under its constitutional name. Greece has for almost two decades contested the former Yugoslav republic's right to use the name "the Republic of Macedonia". If the two countries were to reach an agreement over a different name, then Serbia will respect that, on Macedonia's request, Delic, who is attending a regional conference, commented.

At the unveiling of its largest military base, Serbian President Boris Tadic said that there would never be foreign military bases on Serbian territory even though US troops have built one near Serbian city of Urosevac in the province of Kosovo.

In an event organized last October in Toronto, Canada, by the extremist organization of the Skopjian diaspora under the name UMD, the founder and executive director of the Greek Helsinki Monitor Panayote Dimitras was honored.

Regarding the meeting in Prespes, I will repeat once again that this is an initiative from the Greek Prime Minister to follow up on an initiative that was launched by Greece 10 years ago for environmental cooperation in the Prespes area between three countries: Greece, Albania and FYROM. As you know, environmental issues are at the focus of the new government’s policy and at the focus of the Prime Minister’s thinking ahead of the Copenhagen conference on climate change.

Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov on Wednesday urged Greek business people to make more investments in his country and boost economic cooperation in the Balkans.

FYRMacedonia is ready to start the Union's accession negotiations and there is still a possibility for settling the name row ahead of the EU Summit in December, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said on Wednesday.

"Negotiations between fYRoM and the EU will not be launched if the 'name issue' is not settled with the adoption of a name for all uses (erga omnes) that will include a geographic qualifier," the foreign ministry spokesman said in response to a press question.

IN MEMORIAM: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, left, first among equals in the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church, leads the memorial service for the late Patriarch Pavle as he lies in repose at the Saborna Church in Belgrade, November 18 2009.

Athens. The meeting between Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Greek prime ministers Nikola Gruevski and George Papandreou, Greek Naftemporiki online edition newspaper writes, quoting spokesperson of the Greek foreign ministry Grigoris Dalavekuras.

Sweden's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu , during a photo session near the Bosphorus before a Turkey-EU ministerial meeting in Istanbul.

Besides, Greece's name dispute with Republic of Macedonia, Greek President Karolos Papoulias denies Macedonia's name of the country, nationality and language.

The Greek question was brought before the Security Council of the United Nations three times during 1946.

Australian Macedonian Advisory Council November 26, 2009 Dear Editor, We are writing to you in regards to an article that was published in a recent issue of your prestigious magazine TIME, in a section called "Countries of the world - Greece". As an Australian-Greek organization we are extremely disappointed with the section aforementioned, as you incorrectly refer to the ethnic composition ...

The cities of Melbourne and Thessaloniki are celebrating this year the 25th anniversary of their sister-city relationship.

Athens. The presidents of Bulgaria and Greece have agreed to seek ways to further strengthen the trilateral cooperation between Greece, Bulgaria and Romania both in Southeastern Europe and in the tender region in the Black Sea, Greek Naftemporiki daily writes on its Internet site.

Antonis Samaras spoke to supporters in Thessaloniki yesterday ahead of Sunday’s vote for the New Democracy leadership. Following a change of the party’s constitution earlier this month, all ND members, including those that sign up on the day of the election, will be able to cast their ballots for one of the three candidates.

There's mounting interest for IPARD funds and farmers and companies are intensively drafting business plans, it was pointed out at Tuesday's informative meeting organised by the IPARD management body and Agrobusiness chamber within the Association of Chambers of Commerce.

Athens. Greek President Karolos Papoulias has sent double message to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey during Tuesday's dinner in the honor of Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov who pays a three-day visit to Greece, Greek Naftemporiki newspaper writes.

Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov started an official three-day visit to Greece on Tuesday, mainly aimed at promoting economic cooperation between the two neighboring countries. He was given a red-carpet welcome by his Greek counterpart Karolos Papoulias. The two leaders also discussed regional and international issues of common interest.

Western Envoy : Situation in Bosnia a oeWorrisomea Macedoniaa s Ahmeti Optimistic on Name Skopje Ali Ahmeti The head of Macedonia's junior governing party, the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, Ali Ahmeti has expressed optimism about a possible solution to the on-going name row with Greece.

SKOPJE, Macedonia -- Vaccination against the H1N1 virus started on Saturday . First in line were doctors and nurses at the Skopje Clinic for Infectious Diseases.

Athens. The invitation of Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou to the ministers of Albania and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Sali Berisha and Nikola Grievski on informal meeting in the region of Lake Prespa is among the main subject sin Greek print media on Tuesday.

Visiting Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov on Tuesday emphasised the significance of cooperation between Greece and Bulgaria in the energy sector, during a meeting with President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias in Athens.

Belgrade and Thessaloniki were included among the world's top 10 party cities in the Lonely Planet's new guide Lonely Planet "1000 Ultimate Experiences." Serbia's capital ranked as the number one spot in the world to party the night away, while Thessaloniki Greece's second largest city, occupied position number five.

The conference will be attended by members of the national boards from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, FYRMacedonia and Montenegro, but also those from Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Italy, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Holland, Great Britain and Finland.

In the peak-time slot every Saturday evening on TV in Skopje, Atanas Pcelarski explains the meaning of words from the world of Classical Antiquity in modern Macedonian.

Skopje, FYR Macedonia, November 23, 2009 - IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is partnering with the Ministry of Justice of the FYR Macedonia to introduce mediation, an important tool to enhance the business environment by helping businesses unlock capital tied up in litigation and reduce pressure on clogged courts.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt is to take part in a debate on enlargement on Wednesday 25 November in the European Parliament.

The prime ministers of Greece, Albania and FYROM will hold an informal meeting on Friday in the Prespes Lakes region in northwestern Greece, at the initiative of Greek premier George Papandreou, to discuss prospects of cooperation in the protection and viable development of the Prespes national park region, which straddles the borders of all three ...

Mr. Droutsas: It is in the hands of the FYROM government and Mr. Gruevski himself to abandon their intransigent stance and extremist nationalistic rhetoric. Groundless and historically unfounded claims do not benefit our neighbouring country’s people, who are in immediate need of the prosperity and growth guaranteed by the European perspective.

The 50th anniversary of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, which concluded on Sunday, was a mix of triumph and controversy. With more than 250 features and shorts screened from around the world and numerous film-related art exhibits and other parallel events, the festival commemorated the remarkable milestone of serving cinephilia for half a century in the northern port city in Greece.

An ancient Middle-Eastern prayer went something like: “May God deliver us from the venom of the cobra, teeth of the tiger and the vengeance of the Afghan.” Alexander the Great was one of the first foreign invaders of the tribal areas that are Afghanistan today, and he defeated them at first. Victory did not come easily to him though.

Dutch Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin pays Monday a one-day visit to Macedonia upon an invitation of Justice Minister Mihajlo Manevski.

An ad hoc choir "Singing Skopjans" consists of citizens of Skopje who express their opinions on social matters through songs.

Current and potential candidate countries must continue reforming to stay on track for eventual EU membership.

Local media reported on Thursday that the Appeals Court has overturned a verdict against former Prime Minister Vlado Buckovski stemming from his involvement in an arms deal.

Mediation Unknown To Macedonians Skopje Ballin and Manevski The practice of mediation as a way of avoiding more expensive and sometimes painstakingly long count procedures is still not well known in Macedonia, the visiting Dutch Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin and his Macedonian host Mihajlo Manevski agreed on Monday.

Yaron Shani and Scandar Copti's dynamic debut feature Ajami and Calin Netzer's Romanian drama Medal Of Honour took the top prizes at the 50th Thessaloniki International Film Festival in Greece on November 22.

The 50th Thessaloniki International Film Festival has wound up after ten days of screenings that had been threatened by a boycott. The theme this year, at what is the biggest event of its kind in the Balkans, was the role of cinema in society. The festival winners certainly had something to say.

For certain areas of the Greek mainland and many of the islands the names of some fifteen pre-Greek peoples are preserved in ancient traditions, together with a number of other references; information of this quantity or importance is wanting in the case of the inhabitants of Macedonia, however, not only for the period prior to the advent of the Proto-Greeks, but even before the end of the Bronze Age.

Serbian foreign minister Vuk Jeremic has expressed understanding for Greece's position in the dispute between Athens and Skopje about the use of the name Macedonia, media in Skopje reported.

Israeli-German co-production "Ajami" won the $60,000 top prize, the Golden Alexander for best feature at the Nov. 22 closing of the 50th Thessaloniki Film Festival. It also picked up $6,000 in a public choice award.

As our soldiers penetrate the heart of Taliban territory in South Waziristan, they displace both innocent civilians and their targets themselves.

A cordon of special police forces stands in guard in front of Greek Liason Office during the press conference of united NGO's, held as a protest against Greek policy objecting Macedonian constitutional name, Skopje, 07 April 2008.

Macedonia Troubled by Serbiaa oeNamea Statement Skopje, Belgrade Tadic [left], Ivanov [Right] at the funeral, photo by FoNet Serbia's president Boris Tadic late Thursday sought to smooth ruffled feathers, after his foreign minister Vuk Jeremic said his country supports Greece's position in the 18-year name row between Skopjeand Athens.

The struggle for the leadership of the main opposition New Democracy party, ahead of the election for a new party leader on November 29, reached new heights on Friday with speeches by the three contestants, former foreign minister Dora Bakoyannis, Antonis Samaras and Panayiotis Psomiadis, in Athens and the northern city of Thessaloniki.

Timeline of ancient Greek coins and events. Historical events and eras. Numismatic events.

At monasteries on Mount Athos in northern Greece, you wake in the night to the sound of Greek Orthodox monks chanting Byzantine prayers.

Russia has agreed FYRMacedonia to obtain highest support from Gazprom in the execution of this vital project, stated Stavreski, who together with his Russian counterpart Alexei Kudrin harmonized the text of the document.

Greece – and Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou – has made a specific new proposal for the promotion of the EU accession course of the Western Balkan region. We are talking about a date on which we would like to see the European integration of all of the countries of the Western Balkans completed. The date we have chosen is 2014.

Helmer-scribe Ivan Marinovic's "Pasqua," a Slovene, Czech and Montenegro co-production, has won the $15,000 Crossroads Co-Production Forum award at the Thessaloniki Film Festival in Greece.

The FBI says that Kujtim "Timmy" Lika, an ethnic Albanian illegal immigrant from the former Yugoslavian republic of Macedonia, saw the United States as a land of infinite opportunity, and didn't mind breaking the law to achieve his goals. The former gymnast is alleged to have imported everything from cocaine to steroids to bootleg sneakers.

Skopje A 32-years old man who died on Wednesday afternoon is the first swine flu victim in Macedonia, the Health Minister Bujar Osmani confirmed.

Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas stressed in Belgrade on Wednesday, on the first stop in his tour of the Western Balkans, the Greek government's will to return as a "dynamic protagonist in the Balkans", with the first aim being the promotion of the European course of the countries in the region.

Bojana Barlovac Skopje 21 November 2009 Sinisa-Jakov Marusic Todor Petrov A string of protest rallies will be staged in Macedonia and abroad in a bid to have the talks with Greece suspended, the so-called resistance movement against changing the state name of Macedonia said.

Today, November 18, the news are out with more than 200 directors, producers and screenwriters withdrew 52 films from the fest. The official site does not have the news, but if you wish to learn more, please go Variety. Not good news for the fest but filmmakers in Greece want to change an older cinema law.

European Commission President Jose Barroso and Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, right, are reportedly exerting pressure for a resolution to the long-standing dispute about the use of the name Macedonia.

The presidents of Macedonia and Bulgaria discussed on November 20 Sofia's continued support for Skopje's bid to begin formal negotiations for joining the European Union, the Bulgarian Presidency said in a statement.

The presentations of the majority of the academics participating in the 7th “Macedonian”- North American Conference on “Macedonian” Studies at the University of Utah that took place from November 5-7, 2009, amounted to an anti-Hellenic delirium. The Universities of Utah and Chicago jointly organized the conference, in cooperation with the United “Macedonian” Diaspora (UMD) of Skopje based in Washington D.C. Most of the presenters, with a few exceptions, aimed to launch an aggressive propaganda attack against Greece, presenting their views without scientific and academic research criteria, without references to sources thereby promoting unilateral research.

The first meeting of the Coordination Group of the 4th conference of chiefs of staff of Balkan armies is being held in Bucharest throughout November 18, the Romanian Defence Ministry reports in a press release.

Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas, who is accompanying President Karolos Papoulias on his visit in Slovenia, reiterated here on Wednesday that the Greek government's intention is to develop contacts and relations with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia , without distancing itself from the "red line" on the "name issue". Speaking ...

Till present day regardless of the governmental structure, Greece hasn't been showing readiness to discuss the identity issue at all, the PM added.

Macedonia Journalist Beaten Skopje Sinisa-Jakov Marusic Zoran Vaskilevski Macedonia's Journalist Association strongly condemned the physical attack on the journalist and editor of the local weekly trivia magazine Krema, Zoran Vasilevski.

Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic made the statement in Belgrade after meeting Greece's Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas.

The European Union is optimistic regarding an opportunity for compromise between Greece and FYRMacedonia on the name row ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers scheduled on Dec.

The FYROM, or perhaps better known as The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, or just the Republic of Macedonia, or simply Macedonia, is a country that that has gone by many names. Still, ‘what’s in a name?’ you might ask.

A panel discussion on the theme "The Role of Albanian Community in Macedonia's EU Integration Process" will be held in Skopje on Wednesday.

Greek industryites who pulled their pics from the Thessaloniki Film Festival in a dispute over the country's outdated film funding laws have forced the cancellation of next Monday's Greek State Film Awards.

A self-taught filmmaker who made over 40 films without studio backing, directed operas, shot documentaries and wrote books, Werner Herzog is in Greece to attend the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, which is running a tribute to his life and work.

President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias began a three-day official visit to Slovenia on Tuesday, accompanied by Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas and a business delegation. Replying to a question by a local reporter on the issue of the name of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM), Papoulias said that Greece has made all of the concessions so far, and pointed out that "it is up to the leadership of fYRoM to take the (next) steps and abandon anachronisms and fixations."

Sweden Calls for Name Settlement Skopje Macedonia and Greece must use the window of opportunity before the December EU council to strike a deal on their name spat that continues to block Skopje's Euro-Atlantic integration, Swedish Foreign Minister said on Tuesday.

Bulgaria's support for Macedonia is not unconditional and depends on Skopje keeping to the rules of good neighbourliness.

The Constitutional Court of FYR of Macedonia, the highest local judicial body, rejected a petition to examine the legitimacy of building a large monument representing Greek Emperor Alexander III of Macedon.

FYR Macedonia and Bulgaria are two neighboring, friendly countries and Skopje wishes to further build good relations with Sofia, to boost the political, economic relations, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said Monday in Sofia after meeting his counterpart Boyko Borisov.

One of the most ill-concieved Lies created by FYROM's propaganda deals with the claim that "Greece officially prohibited the usage of the name "Macedonia" prior to 1988". Despite the ovewhelming evidence, the Slavs of FYROM insist on denying the obvious. A couple of years ago another terrible lie came into existence by FYROM’s propaganda. This time they allegedly claimed Greek government did not use in the geography school books the name “Macedonia” as a reference to the Province of Macedonia in Greece.

Three European features will receive $15,000 in grants for script development from the Balkan Fund.

The European Parliament has adopted a decision to allow citizens of Serbia, Montenegro and FYR Macedonia to travel visa-free to the bloc as of Dec.19, while calling for visa liberalization for the citizens of Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina by next year.

Skopje Adamantios Vassilakis According to A1 TV, while at the parlay with the UN name mediator Matthew Nimetz on Thursday, the Greek negotiator, Adamantios Vassilakis delivered a list of steep demands that set back efforts to find a solution.

Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov and his Macedonian counterpart Nikola Gruevski emphasized the brotherly connection between their countries.

In 1948, Cominform, the first official forum of the international communist movement since the dissolution of the Comintern, put into action a plan to take hostage to communist countries children from Greece during the Greek civil war. The aim was to re-educate the children as well as blackmail the populace and the Greek government towards reaching a settlement leading to a partition of Greece and the subsequent creation of an internationalist "Macedonian" Republic.

It was remarkable and extraordinary that this soldier built one of the greatest academic institutions in history. It was called the House of Muses (from which we derive the word "museum") and contained all the elements of a modern residential university. It comprised four schools -- mathematics, letters, astronomy and medicine. The building eventually accumulated the largest library in the ancient world, with hundreds of thousands of volumes.

SKOPJE, Macedonia -- Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki and Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Vasko Naumovski on Thursday asked European leaders to set a date for the start of Macedonia's EU accession talks, when they gather at their summit in December.

Croatian Government delegation led by Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor pays Tuesday an official visit to the Republic of Macedonia.

As someone who has vehemently opposed from the outset any form of political interference with the "7th Macedonian-North American Conference" at the University of Utah, I am obliged to report an incident, which, in my view, infringes on the right to freedom of speech.

Macedonia's ethnic Albanians are urging the government to reach a deal with Greece over the name issue that has dogged the two neighbors for the past 18 years, local media reported.

UN special mediator on the FYROM name issue Matthew Nimetz had a working dinner with Greece's chief negotiator, Ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis, on Thursday evening.

The northern Greek port city of Thessaloniki comes under the cinema world spotlight Friday as the International Film Festival gets underway for 10 days of movie screenings.

Culture Minister Pavlos Geroulanos inaugurated on Friday night the 50th Thessaloniki Film Festival pledging that a new bill on Greek cinema would soon be ready for consultation with interested parties.

Report by Mentor Mellova: "Here Is How "Macedonians" Sing Hate Songs Against Albanians" A Skopje 12 Nov 09. A Various internet pages in the "Macedonian" language of forums, soccer club anthems, and patriotic songs swarm with anti-Albanian messages, insults, and calls.

Athens. Special UN Mediator on name dispute between Athens and Skopje Matthew Nimetz will convoke soon a trilateral meeting with negotiators of Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia , Greek News in web page informed.

Athens. The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia should forfeit nationalist rhetoric and violation with Greek history and culture and start a constructive dialogue with Greece, called on deputy foreign minister Dimitris Drutsas in an interview with Greek Elaftherotypia newspaper.

Greek police arrested three people on Saturday for their involvement in a series of bomb attacks by a leftist guerrilla group across the country.

Greece's most important film festival, which is hosted each year at northern city of Thessaloniki, opened on Friday evening.

Macedonia hopes to settle its name dispute with Greece through direct meetings between Athens and Skopje with international arbitration using the recent Croatian model, the Macedonian foreign minister said.

On the other side of the world an ugly feud wages between ethnic Macedonians and ethnic Greeks - and the feud found its way to the U. Most of the U department of language and literature's conference on Macedonian culture, which ended Saturday, went without hiccups, but speakers' accounts of their persecuted lives as Macedonians at the hands of ...

Amnesty International has welcomed the commitment by the Macedonian authorities to ensure that the International Day for Tolerance march in Skopje goes ahead on 16 November without hindrance. The organisation also urged the Macedonian authorities to properly protect participants in the march from any threats or violence. Earlier this year, participants in a peaceful student demonstration were physically attacked and racist, homophobic and other discriminatory and abusive insults were hurled at them by a large “spontaneous” counter-demonstration.

UN special mediator on the FYROM name issue Matthew Nimetz had a working dinner with Greece's chief negotiator, Ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis, on Thursday evening.

Today, Greek investments in the countries of Southeast Europe come to over billion, and over 3,500 Greek enterprises are active in the region, having created some 200,000 jobs. Greece is the top foreign investor in Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia, and is second among foreign investors in Romania and Bulgaria.

ATHENS, November 13. Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas on Thursday had a working lunch with Russian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Vladimir Titov, who is visiting Athens.

The EBRD Board of Directors is content with the improvement of Macedonia's business climate and its results achieved amid the financial crisis, Vice Premier and Finance Minister Zoran Stavreski said Friday after a joint meeting.

With the motto "Why cinema now?," the 50th Thessaloniki International Film Festival is celebrating half a century, from November 13 to 22, and invites artists, film professionals and of course its audience to actively participate in discussing the nature and role of cinema.

FYROM PM Gruevski said he hoped for European leaders to make a favorable decision on launching of FYRMacedonia's EU accession talks, commenting the intensive diplomatic activities of the country's officials ahead of a meeting of the Council of Europe.

Enlargement fatigue among some European Union members means it will be some time before anyone else joins the 27-nation bloc, a Reuters poll found.

Balkan countries such as FYR Macedonia may be too small to support individual national airlines, and may be best served by larger regional operators, the country's top civil aviation official said.

Skopje "Plant Your Future" Logo Thousands of Macedonians including local athletes, pop stars, actors and politicians joined forces Friday to plant trees all over the country.

In a recent visit to Australia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) prime minister Nikola Gruevski spoke to FYROM expatriates about the inability for them to live freely in their FYROMacedonian motherland in Greece and Bulgaria: "Macedonians (sic) in Australia are enjoying a unique opportunity to live together with their compatriots of Aegean and Pirin Macedonia, which does not happen in our motherland". At the same time extremists such as Risto Stefov are accusing Greece of a war atrocity: expelling up to 50,000 "Macedonians" from Greece during the Greek civil war in 1946-49. These are presumably the FYROMacedonians now living in Australia free, while it is not possible to do so in the FYROMacedonian motherland - in Greece and Bulgaria.

Skopje seeks international arbitration in name dispute The foreign minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia yesterday proposed the establishment of an international arbitration committee to intervene in stalled talks aimed at solving a bilateral dispute between Greece and FYROM about the latterA's official name.

The recently published International Religious Freedom Report 2009 for FYROM (26.10.2009) by the U.S. State Department, was in the FYROM media cited mostly with the sentence from the report stating that: “The Government generally respected religious freedomin practice.” Here, it is necessary to underscore the Freedom House statement that FYROM journalism is still partly free and that “political appointees are frequently named to senior positions in state-owned media, the main source of information for most of the population”.

We have set a major goal: To once again give Greece a presence in all the major international issues. The center of gravity here is obviously the Balkans. We want Greece to be the motor force behind the European integration of the Western Balkans. We want to try to lead all the states in the region into the EU by 2014.

UNESCO started the implementation of its project, Alignment to International Standards in the Media Sector of South-East European Countries, in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

The race for the new leadership of main opposition New Democracy is heating up, with the November 29 election date less than three weeks away, and the three candidates accelerating their campaigns.

The wild horses living in the region of the Axios River Estuary, northern Greece, have originated from domesticated horses that were freed by their owners in the early '60s and managed to survive and reproduce, coexisting with other farm animals.

Skopje Demos will not become a political party, Spasov said The ruling centre right VMRO DPMNE and the main opposition party, the Social Democrats, SDSM, exchanged barbs over the recent creation of a think tank dubbed "Demos". Both parties suspected each other for secretly standing behind the formation of Demos.

Karadzic: Flawed Tribunal Decision Radovan Karadzic asks the Hague Tribunal to grant him the right to appeal the Tribunal's decision ordering the appointment of a Defence attorney to represent him.

A veteran film-maker is attempting ‘to reconcile the bloodiest pages’ of modern Greek history.

"Visa liberalisation must not be a substitute for the start of accession negotiations. It is an instrument for further integration; it is not a goal in itself", Foreign Affairs Minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Antonio Milososki told MEPs on Tuesday.

The FYROM name issue is not simply a dispute over historical facts and symbols. It is a problem with regional and international dimensions, given that FYROM is exercising a policy of irredentism and territorial claims fuelled by the falsification of history and the usurpation of Greece's historical and national heritage.

A delegation of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is visiting FYR Macedonia and Albania to discuss any recent developments in the countries and the expected future role of the bank.

Papandreou assured Clinton that Greece wants to play an active role in helping countries in the western Balkans join the European Union and suggested that a time line should be drawn up leading to their accession in 2014. However, the PASOK leader underlined that, in order to join the EU, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) will first have to resolve its name dispute with Greece.

The economy of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) will emerge from a recession next year, as a recovery in metal prices and ...

Prime Minister and Foreign Minister George Papandreou detailed his government's initiatives in a series of foreign policy issues during an informal meeting here with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday, on the sidelines of celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Former Benfica coach Fernando Santos was voted as the 'Best Coach' at the annual Hellenic Association of Football Players awards ceremony in Greece on Monday evening. Santos, who took charge of PAOK in 2007, guided the Thessaloniki outfit to a surprise second-place finish last year, losing just three of their thirty ...

Some 58% of Europeans now see age discrimination as a widespread problem in their country, compared with 42% a year ago.

Macedonia Disbands Encyclopaedia Team Skopje MANU in session The general assembly of Macedonian Academy of Science and Arts, MANU decided late Thursday to fully withdraw the controversial Macedonian Encyclopaedia and disband the editing team that made it.

From November 10-14, 2009, seven agricultural companies and food and beverage producers from South Serbia will participate at the 59th International Trade Fair of Food, Beverages and Consumer Goods in Skoplje, one of the leading trade fairs in FYRMacedonia, giving them an opportunity to expand into the Macedonian market.

The 59th edition of international fair for wide consumption "Agrofood" opens at the Skopje Fair on Tuesday evening. The event will also include debates and a regional ministers' forum on increase of agriculture competitiveness for easier access to the EU market.

A man was found dead in Grevena, northern Greece, after his car was swept away by onrushing water as he was driving between the villages of Trikokia and Karpero. The man was not named or further identified.

FYR Macedonia and Kosovo will soon appoint ambassadors in Pristina and Skopje, thus opening a new stage of mutual relations, said countries' foreign ministers Antonio Milososki and Skender Hyseni respectively at Friday's joint press conference.

Prime Minister and Foreign Minister George Papandreou detailed his government's initiatives in a series of foreign policy issues during an informal meeting here with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday, on the sidelines of celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Police in Macedonia have announced that they have a suspected serial killer in custody.

Via Focus Information Agency: 12 new swine flu cases registered in Macedonia . 12 schoolchildren from Macedonia, who returned from a holiday to Turkey, are infected with swine flu and are now under home treatment, Macedonian media report.

Regarding the name dispute with FYROM, the UN Secretary General said that special mediator Matthew Nimetz was ready to repeat talks whenever the two sides were ready, welcoming Greece's readiness to begin talks and Athens' assurance that it would fully support the role of the UN special envoy on this issue. The UN Secretary General praised Greece's contribution to the "concepts of democracy, human rights and a state of law," and the Greek prime minister's role at the EU.

FinMin Stavreski stated at Friday's press conference that the Government did not plan new employments in the public administration, except for the ones in the Euro-integration sector and in line with the Framework Agreement.

Our basic pursuit is for Greece to be the motor force behind the European perspectives of all our neighboring countries in the Western Balkans. This holds true for FYROM as well. But we say that a prerequisite for the opening of accession negotiations with Skopje is the resolution of name dispute, an issue that has unfortunately dragged on for many years. Greece – and the new government in particular – is going into this process with a very open stance. We would like another effort at rapprochement with Skopje, a policy that we have implemented as the government in the past as well. We have done a lot for our neighbour, FYROM, particularly in economic sectors. Greece continues to be the number one investor in FYROM.

Fatih Akin's Soul Kitchen and Alain Resnais' Wild Grass will bookend the 50th International Thessaloniki Film Festival, which opens on November 13.

Secondary sources have informed us that a comedy, “Macedonians,” written by Strattis circa 410 BC contained a piece of conversation between an Attican and a Macedonian, each speaking in his own dialect. From the few saved words and other lexical evidence, Hoffman and Ahrens had identified the Macedonian speech as Aeolic, similar to Thessalian and Lesbian. Romiopoulou (1980) thought that Doric might have been a second dialect in pre-Hellenistic Macedon in addition to a Macedonian dialect.

The city of Drama - capital of the prefecture of the same name - is a beautiful town in northeastern Macedonia.

EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn has stated that he hopes that Serbia, FYRMacedonia and Montenegro will be included in the White Schengen list already as of December 19, before Christmas holidays, which imply a spirit of good will.

An announcement by a UN Secretariat spokesman on Wednesday said that name) Matthew Nimetz has proposed a new meeting with the representatives of Greece and fYRoM, during the week beginning on November 16.

In an era where people are crossing borders in greater numbers seeking better opportunities, it is more vital than ever that States safeguard the rights of migrants, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a high-level gathering in Athens today.

"Greece attaches great importance to the United Nations, of which it is a founding member, while there is a tradition of long-term and multilateral cooperation and dedication to the principles of international law," said the prime minister, stressing the UN's decisive mission for global peace and cooperation. Their meeting also covered issues of Greek interest, such as the Cyprus problem and the name dispute with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), and matters such as the UN peacekeeping forces and the Millenium targets.

The National Bank has revised its projection of the economic decline for this year from - 1,8 to - 1,6 percent.

In preparation for further EU enlargement, Cogeca met in Slovenia today with representatives of cooperative organisations and the Ministries of Agriculture from the candidate countries to debate the implications of accession for the agricultural sector for these countries when they join the EU.

As the Thessaloniki International Film Festival celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, the event, which runs Nov. 13-22, finds itself on the precipice of a new era. But even as fest programmers look to the future, a brewing controversy threatens to overshadow what has become Greece's greatest film event.

Skopje. Motivator for administrators; envelopes 'moisterer'; expert in photocopying; speech writer; person collecting tickets at parking payments checkpoint - these are the descriptions of some of the new jobs opened at the Macedonian government, ministries, municipalities, public companies and other institutions, for which more and more people ...

For centuries, Greek ideas and ideals have shaped the world. You have produced the vision of Pericles – the wisdom of Socrates, Aristotle and Plato – the adventuring spirit of Homer. You have given us the Olympic ideal of peaceful competition and the practice of Amphictionia, what some have called the forerunner of the United Nations.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon outlined three challenges facing the planet vis-a-vis the issue of migration, paying particular attention to the modern-day scourge of human trafficking, especially of women and children, during his address to the 3rd Global Forum on Migration and Development, which opened in Athens on Wednesday.

SKOPJE -- The Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts sacked Blaze Ristovski, editor-in-chief of the first Macedonian encyclopaedia, and his team Thursday .

The Thessaloniki Film Festival opens next week with a bigger prize purse and a screening schedule that includes fewer local Greek films because of an ongoing dispute within the Greek film community.

With less than ten days to go before the 50th Thessaloniki International Film Festival kicks off, the festival has announced its full slate of 240 films, as well as its seven member jury to judge the fest’s international competition.

Shouts of "zdravo" echoed through the terminal at Pease International Airport on Monday when the Pease Greeters gathered to celebrate their 300th flight and found themselves greeting 100 members of the Macedonian Army rather than the United States troops they are more accustomed to welcoming.

SKOPJE, Macedonia -- Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said on Friday that his country will not change its name without a referendum.

An important, but lesser known, tomb monument of the 4th century BC, discovered in 1987 in the village of Spilia, Kozani pprefecture in northwest Greece, will be accessible to visitors following the completion of restoration works conducted by the culture ministry's 30th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities.

As President Obama decides whether to send more troops to Afghanistan, we should remember that most of the conventional pessimism about Afghanistan is only half-truth. Remember the mantra that the region is the "graveyard of empires," where Alexander the Great, the British in the 19th century, and the Soviets only three decades ago inevitably met ...

Skopje Trenkovski The former head of Macedonia's Health Fund, Gjorgji Trenkovski was detained Monday on suspicion of embezzlement of some half million euros from public funds, the Interior Ministry said.

In his address at the lunch in honor of the UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon in Athens on November 4, 2009 the President of the Hellenic Republic Karolos Papoulias in regard to the issue of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia noted: "The problem is simple ...

The web page of Skopje’s municipality of Butel, has become a popular destination for many internet users who seek amusement in the numerous awkward English translations found there.

An announcement by a UN Secretariat spokesman on Wednesday said that name) Matthew Nimetz has proposed a new meeting with the representatives of Greece and fYRoM, during the week beginning on November 16.

A couple of years ago, I and other family members traced our DNA through FamilyTree.com . My DNA - so that of my father, his Greek father and so on - tested into Haplogroup R1a1, meaning our Y chromosomes have been wandering around central Europe since at least the time ...

In Romania, over the past week alone, 174 new cases of the H1N1 virus have been registered, bringing the total number to 555. Five schools have been closed. New cases reported in Serbia, FYROM, Bulgaria, Albania, Turkey, Greece, Slovenia. Death cases have been reported.

The 50th Thessaloniki International Film Festival opens on Nov. 13 under the theme "Why Cinema Now", and will run until Nov. 22.

Skopje Sinisa-Jakov Marusic PM and VMRO head Nikola Gruevski and DUI leader Ali Ahmeti The leaders of Macedonia's two governing parties met Tuesday afternoon to discuss the burning name dispute with Greece.

The president of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Gjorge Ivanov, has invited President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias to formally visit the neighbouring country.

Macedonian President George Ivanov Wednesday invited his Greek counterpart, Karolos Papoulias, to make a first official visit for talks to resolve an 18-year dispute with Greece over his country's name.

The Financial Police has submitted criminal charges against Trenkovski for abuse of position and competences, because the Fund paid twice for the same medicines, to suppliers and "Gradski Apteki", illegally acquiring approximately Denar 27,76 million .

Exhibitors came from 18 countries, namely: Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Ghana, Great Britain, Greece, India, Indonesia, Italy, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Switzerland, Syria, and Turkey.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov on Saturday commented about his recent meeting, which he termed "excellent", with his new Greek counterpart George Papandreou on the sidelines of an EU Council meeting in Brussels on Friday evening, touching directly on the Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline project.

The Church of Saint Demetrius, the protector of Thessaloniki Greece: Saint Demetrius, or Agios Dimitrios, is the patron saint of Thessaloniki.

EU Focus Regional View Macedonian PM Visits Brussels Skopje Gruevski and Rehn, archive photo The meeting comes during Gruevskia s two-day visit to the city.

The European Broadcasting Union on Monday attacked Hashim Thaci, Kosovo's prime minister, for turning public service broadcaster RTK, into a "media arm of the ruling party". Macedonia Skopje Sinisa-Jakov Marusic Macedonian soldiers in Afghanistan Macedonia has responded positively to calls to reinforce the NATO deployment in Afghanistan and will ...

Last year, the government said Macedonia would be immune to the world economic crisis -- wrong they were.

Judiciary Macedonia Skopje Sinisa-Jakov Marusic Ljube Boskoski , Johan Tarculovski On Thursday, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY, will hear an appeal lodged by the defence team of Johan Tarculovski, the only Macedonian sentenced to jail by the court.

On occasion of World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, the Macedonian Cinematheque and the Bureau for Education Development will hold Tuesday lectures for Skopje high school students, informing them on the significance of audiovisual heritage and the necessity for its protection.

The Prime Minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Nikola Gruevski, has left Australia after what is considered to have been a disappointing return from his visit.

In the international relations, every state is free to choose the name that wants. But when exercising its right to choose its name and indeed when exercising any other right, it must do so in a manner that will not obstruct other states’ exercise of their own right ...

An International Monetary Fund mission to Macedonia has revised its 2009 GDP projections for the country from an initial -2.5 per cent to -1 and 1.5 per cent.