Balkans

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 …

Montenegro wants Kosovo to recognise the Montenegrin minority in Kosovo as one of the preconditions for taking their diplomatic relations to a higher level by appointing an ambassador to Pristina. Montenegro recognized Kosovo Albanians’ declaration of independence late last year over the protests of its Serbian minority. Montenegrin President Filip …

he European Union’s silence over Greece’ veto to Macedonia’s NATO membership bid echoes the complacency of Europe to the agressive policies of Nazi Germany before World War Two, Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski told local media. Speaking to local media on Sunday, Gruevki referred to Athens blocking Skopje’s NATO invitation …

The heavy snow fall across the Balkans during the New Year holiday has left mountainous areas of Macedonia and Albania cut off and running low on food, with traffic bottlenecks affecting the rest of the region. The Albanian government called up army engineers and police special forces to free up …

Two Kosovo Serbs were attacked by a group of Albanians in Mitrovica, local police say, the latest skirmish in the tense divided town. The town of Mitrovica has been a flashpoint since Kosovo’s Albanian majority declared independence from Serbia in February. Some 20,000 Serbs live in the north of the …

Kosovo’s ethnically-divided town of Mitrovica could face bloody conflict if inter-ethnic tensions continue unchecked, a local Serb politician says. The town of Mitrovica has been a flashpoint since Kosovo’s Albanian majority declared independence from Serbia in February. Some 20,000 Serbs who live in the north of the town reject the …

BOSANSKI BROD, Bosnia (Reuters) – A flare at the top of a 50-meter high tower in the Balkans shows Russia building political capital in a notoriously fractured part of Europe. The flame in late November marked the restart of operations in Brod, Bosnia’s sole oil refinery which had been out …