Albania

A day after the opposition Socialist Party (SP) returned to parliament, OSCE and EC ambassadors reiterated on Tuesday (May 25th) that lawmakers should take advantage of this development to hold debates, rather than “insult each other”, OSCE Ambassador Robert Bosch said.

In its Wednesday meeting, the European Commission is expected to give its approval of the recommendation for lifting the visa regime for citizens of Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, but there are many more steps to be taken before the countries’ citizens can travel freely in Europe without a visa.

US Ambassador to Tirana John Withers said on Monday (May 24th) that Albania is in a government crisis, not a political one. Albania faces “problems that affect the welfare of the people, and disagreements have stopped the functioning of the system to help the citizens”, Withers said at an open …

Albania – Lawmakers from the opposition Socialist Party (SP) are expected to attend parliament sessions this week, following the start of negotiations to resolve the ongoing political stalemate. Local media reported at the weekend that SP leader Edi Rama was told at a negotiating table in Strasbourg to get his …

After meeting with EU representatives in Strasbourg, Albania’s main political parties have failed to reach an agreement to overcome the political stalemate that has plagued the country for almost a year. Prime Minister Sali Berisha from the ruling Democratic Party and opposition leader Edi Rama of the Socialists met with

The European Commission (EC) has asked Tirana to answer 170 additional questions, to supplement the questionnaire submitted last month when Albania applied for candidate country status. Integrations Minister Majlinda Bregu said on Tuesday (May 18th) that Albania will send “clarifications” regarding issues raised by the Commission. According to media reports, …

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY, on Wednesday is set to deliver the final verdict in the case of former Macedonian Interior Minister Ljube Boskoski and police officer Johan Tarculovski. Boskoski and Tarculovski are the only people from Macedonia to be indicted by the UN war crimes …

The OSCE office in Tirana announced on Monday (May 17th) that it has a compromise that would end the longstanding political crisis. Last week, OSCE Ambassador Robert Bosch said that a proposal had been presented to both the government and opposition Socialist Party (SP). While Prime Minister Sali Berisha has …

Thousands of members and supporters of the opposition Socialist Party (SP) rallied in Tirana on Friday (May 14th) on behalf of about 200 people who started hunger strikes two weeks ago, demanding transparency in the June 2009 general elections. The protestors gathered in the main square chanting “Open the ballot …

Bulgarian Foreign Minister was in the Albanian capital of Tirana on May 14 2010 at the close of his Western Balkans tour that has taken him to Skopje, Belgrade, Podgorica, Pristina, Sarajevo and Banja Luka underlining his message that Bulgaria wants to do its utmost to assist the region’s European …