Albania

US Ambassador in Tirana John L Withers called on Prime Minister Sali Berisha and opposition leader Edi Rama to find common ground and resolve the politcal row that has engulfed the country since the 28 June parliamentary elections. “Our position (on the parliamentary boycott) is that it would really be …

Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu has called on the Kosovo Serbs to vote in the local elections scheduled for Nov. 15. “I once again call on representatives of all communities, in this case the Serb community as well, to be active in this process, which primarily concerns the exercising of their …

With just two days left before the local elections, concern has been raised about mysterious visits to the vote counting centre by workmen claiming to work for EULEX, and questions are being asked about three tenders, crucial to the election process. Mystery workmen, claiming to be employees of EULEX and …

Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina must catch up on the reforms needed to qualify for a short-stay visa waiver like those of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, said MEPs on Thursday. The European Commission should report on the two countries’ progress early in 2010, and also …

EU countries have agreed to proceed with Albania’s application for membership of the European Union, a first step in a long process towards possible membership of the bloc, EU diplomats said. Ambassadors from the 27 EU states decided at a meeting in Brussels to ask the European Commission to prepare …

The OSCE has criticized the provisional institutions in Priština saying that they are not meeting their obligations toward the returnees in Kosovo. In its report, the OSCE said that the Albanian majority in the province had taken very few concrete steps since the adoption of the strategy for reintegration of …

The ambassadors of EU member states have agreed to proceed with Albania’s application for EU membership, local media reported on Thursday. The same sources said ambassadors from the 27 EU states decided at a meeting in Brussels to ask the European Commission to prepare an assessment of Albania’s readiness to …

The EU’s Enlargement Commissioner has appealed to Albania’s government and the opposition to find a solution to the current political stalemate and end the opposition’s month-long boycott of parliament. “It takes two to tango and I appeal to the opposition to end the parliamentary boycott which does not respect European …

Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu stated that “historical, legal and constitutional” arguments were on “Kosovo’s side” in the ICJ case. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has started proceedings to determine the legality of the February 2008 unilateral independence declaration by Kosovo’s ethnic Albanians, which Belgrade rejected as an illegal act …

Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Đukanović said that Montenegro and Serbia “need to step out of the shadow of Kosovo”. “Differing relations towards Kosovo hinder our relations today. We understand Serbia and we are sorry about the problem it finds itself in because of this. And we believe that we are …