Republik Nordmazedonien

North Macedonia has officially become NATO's 30th member, the military alliance says.

European Union ministers say they have approved beginning membership talks with North Macedonia and Albania, with a top German official calling it "good news in these gloomy times."

Political leaders on Thursday said they would not postpone the April 12 elections over concerns about the global pandemic – but agree to curb election rallies and campaign more on social networks.

North Macedonia’s Prime Minister, Oliver Spasovski, on Wednesday moved to axe Labour Minister Rashela Mizrahi from the caretaker government for her refusal to use the country’s new official name in a press conference.

North Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has resigned, as expected, paving the way for a technocrat government to be formed to organize fresh elections in the Balkan nation.

North Macedonia's prime minister Zoran Zaev has called early elections after the European Union refused to start accession talks with the country. Following the call, the president of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovski, invited all party leaders for a meeting on Sunday (20 October) afternoon, where all agreed to hold elections on 12 April - eight months before the normal end of the term.

At his first meeting with his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev in New York, the new Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said he would never have signed the historic 2018 deal with Macedonia – but would honour it nevertheless.

The formation of the new body comes amid the continuing ‘Extortion’ case scandal that has tarnished the credibility of the crime-fighting Special Prosecution, SJO, endangered the reputation of the Social Democratic-led government of Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, and caused alarm among the country’s Western allies.

The former ruling party has abandoned its attempt to cling onto power in Moldova and has gone into opposition – while still refusing the recognise the new government led by pro-EU and pro-Russian forces.

Stevo Pendarovski has been inaugurated as the new president of North Macedonia, calling for "reconciliation" in a deeply divided society.