Balkans

Hungary will enjoy good ties with Romania even though the ethnic Hungarian party, the UDMR, will not be part of Romania’s new government, Hungary’s Foreign Minister Kinga Goncz says. “We are determined to maintain good relations with the Romanian government even if it does not have any Hungarian ministers or …

The OSCE has slammed a law presented by Albania’s centre-right government of Prime Minister Sali Berisha, for the lustration of high administration figures as unconstitutional. “The law breaches several articles of the [Albanian] constitution and an all-inclusive debate it’s necessary before its passed,” said Organisation for Security and Cooperation in …

Pristina – Everyone agrees that Kosovo should progress towards the EU but there is little talk on how to attain this goal, argues the head of the Club for Foreign Policy, Veton Surroi. “The first statement is that Kosovo doesn’t have a European policy. The good news is that everyone …

Romania’s Democrat-Liberals, PD-L and the leftist Social Democrat Party, PSD, on Wednesday agreed on the distribution of 19 ministries in the future government. Both parties will have 9 ministries, each, while the future Justice Minister will be an independent, Prime Minister-designate Emil Boc said. The main ministries are split as …

Skopje – As part of the celebration marking 15 years since Macedonia established diplomatic relations with 13 European countries, the embassies of several nations are opening their doors to visitors. This will be a rare occasion for the Macedonians to catch a glimpse of the Norwegian, Swedish and the United …

Grain farmers from all over Bulgaria took part in protests amid concern that fraudulent practices by some farmers would cause the EU to cut further aid to Sofia. Hundreds of farmers took to the roads in tractors and other vehicles in the countryside near the southern town of Stara Zagora, …

The Bulgarian parliament has approved the government’s 2009 budget based on expected economic growth of 4.7 percent, a rate widely criticised as unrealistic amid the global economic slowdown. The budget plans a surplus of 3 percent of gross domestic product, but also raises social and capital spending which analysts have …

Bulgaria is not preventing an association of Macedonians in Bulgaria from registering as a political party but they instead are refusing to do so, Bulgaria’s Prime Minister claims. Sergey Stanishev was referring to the OMO Ilinden Pirin organisation and made the comments during an official visit to Macedonia in which …

ATHENS (Reuters) – Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis pledged on Tuesday to tackle corruption after 11 days of violence triggered by the police killing of a teenager and fueled by public anger at scandals and a slowing economy. About 100 youths attacked a police station in Athens, setting fire to …

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Economic Minister Shamseddin Hosseini and Bosnian Minister of Foreign Trade Mladen Zirojevic in a meeting here in Tehran on Monday explored avenues to expand mutual trade and economic relations. Iran seeks ways to boost cooperation with Bosnia in various sectors like banking, foreign investment, privatization, etc., he …