Albania

TIRANA, Albania Four days after the country’s official acceptance as a member of the Alliance, Albania has appointed its mission to NATO headquarters in Brussels, local media reported on Wednesday (April 8th). Permanent representative for Albania Artur Kuko will lead the mission. Also on Wednesday, Tirana witnessed a ceremonial raising …

THE HAGUE, Netherlands The Appeals Council at The Hague war crimes tribunal on Wednesday (April 8th) ordered the temporary release of former Kosovo Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Astrit Haraqija. The time he spent behind bars awaiting trial equalled the five-month sentence he received for contempt of court. The …

The Parliament of the Maldives has suspended an investigation into allegations of a $2 million bribe, allegedly accepted by the government of this small chain of Indian Ocean islands to recognise Kosovo’s independence. A parliamentary committee that was investigating the allegation, after concerns raised by Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed, said …

PRISTINA, Kosovo – European Parliament (EP) member Doris Pack on Tuesday (April 7th) voiced support for Kosovo’s EU integration but at the same time expressed disappointment with the government’s efforts to fight corruption. Pack, who is leading an EP delegation to Pristina, signed a co-operation agreement Tuesday with members of …

Former UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari is optimistic Moscow will recognise Kosovo’s independence, now relations between the US and Russia are thawing. The man who devised the blueprint for Kosovo’s supervised independence told Voice of America that it may take “some time in order for this to happen”. “I hope that …

Legislators from Kosovo’s assembly gathered for a special meeting on Wednesday to mark the one-year anniversary of the country’s first constitution as an independent state. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on February 17 of last year and agreed its first constitution on April 9. The constitution emphasises minority rights and …

Gambia recognized Kosovo last night, becoming the 57 state to do so. Located in Western Africa, the ex British colony’s population is 90 per cent Muslim. According to Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gambia’s recognition follows the latest meeting of Kosovo’s head of diplomacy, Skender Hyseni, with Gambia’s ambassador to …

The International Monetary Fund has slashed its economic growth forecast for Albania. The IMF has revised its prediction of 2 to 3 per cent growth for Albania’s economy to between 0 and 1 per cent for the 2009 fiscal year. The new projection was announced on Tuesday by Gerwin Bell, …

TIRANA, Albania – A four-year-old Albanian boy is among the victims of the earthquake that rocked central Italy early on Monday (April 6th), according to the Albanian Embassy in Rome. Four Macedonian nationals of Albanian ethnicity are also among the victims.

Kosovo’s prime minister has suspended seven officials the day after the publication of a damning report on corruption. A report by Kosovo’s anti-corruption agency revealed on Monday that 113 officials are suspected of corruption. According to the investigation for 2008, employees of the government and the courts head the list …