RUSSIA Turkey could replace Ukraine as the main energy transport corridor for Russian natural gas to Europe, according to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. During a gathering late last week with academics, experts and reporters at the Valdai International Discussion Club, a group which meets annually to discuss Russia’s position …

BULGARIA The Bulgarian Government will vote on September 16 on a long-term set of measures to lift the economy out of the doldrums, said prime minister Boyko Borissov. The proposal will be debated by employers’ groups and trade unions within the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation on September 15. The …

BULGARIA Mayor of Sofia is much more than a Prime Minister and I am a proof for this, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said after inauguration ceremony of the new school year at the 78th Hristo Smirmenski secondary school in Banka living district in the capital. Borisov was asked weather he …

BELGIUM The General Affairs Council, where Bulgarian Foreign Minister Rumyana Zheleva also took part, discussed the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism for Bulgaria, the Council’s press service informs. “Reaffirming its earlier conclusions the Council welcomes the Commission’s reports on progress in Romania and Bulgaria under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. The …

BiH Families of the victims, representatives of opposition parties and a number of civil sociiety groups have called for Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik to be declared persona non grata after he claimed a war-time massacre in Tuzla was orchestrated by Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims). More than 70 people were killed …

MOLDOVA Ex-President of Moldova, Chairman of the Moldovan Communist Party (MCP) Vladimir Voronin has stated he will now concentrate all his efforts, attention and time to a further consolidation of his party and to preparing it for an early parliamentary election. In an interview with Echo of Moscow radio last …

MOLDOVA Parliament Chairman Mihai Ghimpu, who has been Moldova’s Acting President since last Friday, has expressed hope the forthcoming CIS Chisinau Summit, scheduled for October, will be a success. Last Saturday, Ghimpu met with the Kiev-based Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to Moldova, H.E. Mr. Amangeldy Jumabayev, and said …

The Hague Tribunal has found former prosecution spokeswoman Florence Hartmann guilty of contempt of court and fined her EUR 7,000. Hartmann was accused of revealing details of the Slobodan Milošević case in her recently published book. The court ruled that she had deliberately perverted the course of justice by publishing …

MACEDONIA, SERBIA, MONTENEGRO The newly-elected European Parliament meets Tuesday for its first plenary session. The agenda of the plenary session in Strasbourg includes the visa liberalization for Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro. The newly-elected European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek and the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, who runs for a …

SLOVENIA In the talks with Croatia, Slovenia got something it haven’t had before, binding Zagreb to see the border issue as part of negotiation process, Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor said. “I believe that we can all be happy. The border issue will be solved trough arbitrage or with a …