Balkans

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 …

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 …

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. …

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 …

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 …

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 …

The West ended the war in the region, now it’s time to secure the peace. Bosnia and Kosovo have largely disappeared from public view. Washington and Brussels are hoping the promise of European Union accession will ultimately triumph over remaining ethnic tensions in the region. Would that this were so. …

A 45-year old woman died in an accidental blast in an army depot in the southern Albanian town of Polican. According to Albania’s Ministry of Defense, another worker was wounded and was recovering in a local hospital. “The explosion happened as result of human error outside the demolition wing of …

A contingent of 150 Macedonian troops headed to Afghanistan on Monday to join the ISAF peacekeeping mission. The country had so far sent 90 peacekeepers. The troops will serve as part of the UK contingent in the capital Kabul where they will be tasked with securing the main command of …

The timeframe for the end of Croatia’s European Union accession negotiations should be taken lightly, said Slovene President Danilo Tuerk, pointing to the outstanding issue of Slovenia’s border dispute with its southern neighbour. The President of Slovenia said on Sunday Croatia should use the first months of this year to …