Balkans

US Vice President Mike Pence said on Wednesday that the future of the Western Balkans lay “in the West,” on the last leg of a tour aimed at reassuring Eastern European allies worried by Russia. After visiting Baltic state Estonia and the Caucasus nation of Georgia, Pence arrived on Tuesday …

Representatives of gas companies Bulgartransgaz EAD (Bulgaria), ICBG AD (Bulgaria), DESFA S.A. (Greece), FGSZ Ltd. (Hungary) and SNTGN TRANSGAZ S.A. (Romania) signed a memorandum of understanding about a project for implementation of the Vertical Gas Corridor. The document was signed Wednesday at a joint meeting in Bucharest, the Energy Ministry …

The issue of security and stability in the Western Balkans will be the focal point of a trilateral summit of Greek, Serbian and Bulgarian leaders at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall on Thursday. Prime ministers Alexis Tsipras, Boyko Borisov of Bulgaria and Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia are also expected to discuss …

The EU recently agreed to extend sanctions against Russia on its actions in Ukraine following the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, 3 years ago. Moscow also sees NATO with suspicion after the Alliance has strengthened its presence in Eastern Europe.

New Europol report warns that the Balkan region remains vulnerable to Islamist terrorism – and remains a well-established route to and from the conflict zones for terrorist fighters. The EU’s annual Terrorism Situation and Trend Report, released June 15, says terrorists are still joining the conflict in Syria from the …

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the new Prime Minister of Macedonia Zoran Zaev to NATO headquarters on Monday for talks on the partnership between the Alliance and Macednia. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the NATO chief congratulated Zaev on his appointment and welcomed the formation of a new …

A NATO membership for Western Balkan countries would provide stability in the region, but it could materialise only after the main criteria are met, gen. Kircho Kirov, former head of the National Intelligence Service, told FOCUS Radio’s Good Morning Bulgaria. Macedonia’s attempts to join the EU and NATO should be …

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev here on Monday said his country would advocate for the integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina into the European Union (EU). During its presidency of the EU Council in 2018, Bulgaria would support Sarajevo in the process of obtaining a candidate status for the EU membership, Radev …

Among the complex consequences of United Kingdom’s recent decision to withdraw from the European Union (Brexit), one of the main problems for the Union’s leaders – indeed, a component of the EU’s future – is the EU enlargement process, notably the accession of the six countries of the Western Balkans …

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi will visit Greece next week where he will attend a summit meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades, Egyptian state media said on Thursday.