Council of Europe Head Visits Macedonia

Jagland is to meet Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki, President Georgi Ivanov, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and Parliament Speaker Trajko Veljanoski.

The talks are to focus on the country's priorities in the course of its presidency, which is scheduled to begin in May and end in November, Macedonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.

The two sides will also tackle the major political issues facing Macedonia, the ministry said.

Previously local media speculated that Skopje is mulling the possibility of using the term "Macedonian Chairmanship" during the country's six month presidency of the Council.

This would avoid Macedonia’s provisional UN reference, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, FYROM, which is used in most international settings due to Greek pressure.

So far it is not known how the Greek side would react to such a proposal, although some local observers have said that such a move would likely not be acceptable for Athens.

Skopje and Athens are locked in a long lasting spat over the use of the name Macedonia. Greece insists that Macedonia change its official name, arguing that it implies territorial claims over Greece's northern province, also called Macedonia. Athens has effectively blocked Skopje’s EU and NATO membership bids over the row.

The Council of Europe is one of the oldest international organizations working for European integration, with particular emphasis on legal standards, human rights, cultural co-operation and democratic development of the member countries. The Council has 47 member states, including all EU members.

The presidency of the CoE Committee of Ministers is held by member states for a period of six months, with the order established alphabetically following the English spelling of the country names.