Eurasia Press & News
The International Monetary Fund, IMF, ended its mission to Albania on Thursday after monitoring its economy for 17 years, its departure criticised as premature by economic experts and the opposition. Prime Minister Sali Berisha described the end of the IMF mission as the end of post-communist transition for the Albania’s …
Read More »EU Must Press Serbia On Kosovo –Pack
Germany’s Doris Pack said the European Union should put pressure on Serbia to normalise its relations with Pristina or risk a continuation of the inter-ethnic violence in north Kosovo. Belgrade has vowed to never recognise the declaration of independence by its former province and is keeping a firm hold on …
Read More »Kosovo, Serb Hackers Fight Cyber Wa
A group of hackers from Kosovo defaced the website of Serbia’s ministry of energy on Thursday in a payback strike for a similar intervention on the website of Kosovo’s energy ministry by Serb hackers earlier this week. “United States of Albania” and “Don’t play if you don’t know the game”, …
Read More »Romania Appoints New Justice Chief
Judge Viorel Andreies was elected the new president of a key body guaranteeing the independence of the judiciary in Romania, the Superior Council of Magistracy, CSM. The European Union, which Romania joined in January 2007, has urged Bucharest to continue reforms in the justice system – plagued by delays in …
Read More »Fresh Macedonia Name Talks Soon -Report
Matthew Nimetz, the UN mediator in the long running Athens-Skopje name row, plans to hold a meeting between the two sides before the end of January, Greek daily Kathimerini said on Thursday citing unnamed diplomats from Athens. The dispute dates from the early 1990s, after Macedonia broke away from socialist …
Read More »Violence Continues in Kosovo Flashpoint
Two cars were burnt in the latest inter-ethnic clash in Kosovo’s ethnically divided city of Mitrovica, Kosovo police says. The violence between Kosovo Serbs who dominate the northern part of the town and Kosovo Albanians who dominate the south started around 19:30 hours CET on Tuesday night. The row started …
Read More »Kosovo Seeks Turkey Help on Recognitions
Kosovo Parliament Speaker Jakup Krasniqi has asked Turkish authorities to help the newly independent country get recognised by Islamic countries. Most of Kosovo’s 90 percent Albanian majority are secular Muslims. During his visit in Ankara, Krasniqi met with his Turkish counterpart Koksal Toptan and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. …
Read More »Tadic Asks UN, EU to Protect Kosovo Serbs
Serbian President Boris Tadic has sent a letter of protest to the United Nations and European Union asking them to protect the Serb population in Kosovo from what he said were deliberate attacks by “the Kosovo government and Albanian extremists”. Two Kosovo Serbs were attacked by a group of Albanians …
Read More »Balkans Collateral Victims In Russia Gas Row
Supplies of Russian gas via Ukraine to Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia were reduced or halted on Tuesday because of a dispute between Moscow and Kiev, raising concerns about Russia’s credibility as a supplier and its readiness to use its energy muscle to push political aims. Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom …
Read More »Macedonia Names Highway “Alexander of Macedon”
Macedonia’s government has renamed a main highway after the ancient conqueror Alexander the Great, whose ethnic origin is one part of the thorny 17-year dispute between Macedonia and its southern neighbour Greece over Macedonia’s name. Government spokesman Shefik Duraku told local Alfa TV that “Alexander of Macedon” will be the …
Read More »