Balkans

Skopje – Macedonia and Russia on Tuesday in Moscow have signed a deal to scrap visas for visitors to each other’s countries, local media report.

Tirana – Albania’s Justice Minister, Enkelejd Alibeaj has rejected calls by interest groups, US diplomats and Albania’s President to review a series of bills that aim to reform the justice system.

Pristina – The UN Mission in Kosovo has denied reports that the mission’s envoy for talks with Belgrade, Andrew Landley, proposed the administrative partition of Kosovo.

Pristina – Arms, ammunition and other military supplies from the old Yugoslav army were confiscated during a raid on a Kosovo police officer’s home.

Pristina – Germany is against Kosovo’s partition and fully backs the blueprint for Kosovo’s independence devised by ex-UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari, says Germany’s Defence Minister.

Novi Pazar – The Assembly of the Islamic Community of Serbia has once again elected incumbent reis Adem Zilkic as its supreme leader.

Brussels – Talks between the UN officials in Kosovo and Serbia on the deployment of the EU’s new law-and-order mission to Kosovo, EULEX, is progress but the mission’s future can’t rest on them, the bloc’s foreign policy chief says.

Skopje – The Greek Foreign Minister has reiterated that Athens will not allow Macedonia to join NATO and the EU until a settlement on the “name row” is found.

Tirana – The Association of Prosecutors, judges, lawyers and public notaries has condemned a series of bills proposed by the Albanian government as part of reforming the justice system.

Brussels – The EU has warned politicians in Bosnia they are jeopardising the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration with the heated nationalist rhetoric.