Balkan News

President Gjorge Ivanov on Tuesday entrusted Nikola Gruevski with a fresh mandate to form a new government after his VMRO-DPMNE party won the June 5 elections. He has 20 days to complete talks and present a new team to parliament. 

Italy’s Foreign Minister Franco Frattini believes Serbia should get the EU candidate status and a date for the start of accession negotiations by year’s end. He said that Italy was one of the countries that strongly supported the EU integration of the Western Balkans and Serbia. 

Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic has said that Montenegro and Serbia should be the two closest countries – not only in the region, but in the whole world. “We keep forgetting that brother nations [Serbia and Montenegro] sometimes have different interests and move away from one another, but with a commitment …

Serbian President Boris Tadić says that Serbia expects the candidate status for EU membership and, shortly thereafter, the start of accession negotiations. At the same time, said he, the country “will not change its stance on not recognizing the self-proclaimed independence of Kosovo”.

The charges against Ratko Mladić are strong and the prosecution is working to expedite proceedings against him, said Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz. Brammertz pointed out the Prosecutor’s Office would do everything to prove Mladić’s individual accountability for numerous crimes.

The general strike called in Greece will result in the closing of the Gevgelija border for crossing with Macedonia for 48 hours, it has been announced. Some flights from the main airport in Athens have also been canceled.

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov is expected to give a mandate to VMRO-DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski to form a government. Gruevski will have 20 days to announce the members of the new government, but most

Serbian President Boris Tadic has denied the claims that his relations with his Croatian counterpart Ivo Josipovic has deteriorated, because he did not attend the celebrations of Croatia’s independence. According to Tadic his relations with Josipovic are extremely good and based on similar values. The Serbian President added he did …

VMRO-DPMNE and Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) have reached an agreement to form a ruling coalition. The leaders of the two parties, Nikola Gruevski and Ali Ahmeti, have agreed to divide the ministerial posts 2:1 in

Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul has postponed his visit to neighboring Bulgaria, initially scheduled for July 3 and 4, for a week later, due to the opening of his country’s first new Parliamentary session. Besides his Bulgarian visit, the Turkish President has also postponed his upcoming trip to Montenegro.