Balkans

Kosovo and Switzerland, Switzerland and Kosovo

The two small European mountain countries have a deep political, economic, historical but above all human relationship, through numerous personal ties. About 250,000 people belong to the Kosovar diaspora in Switzerland. This is significantly lower than Italians living in Switzerland, for example. And yet it’s a high number. After all, …

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Germany: Serbia vote fraud ‘unacceptable’ for a candidate to join the EU

A team of international observers on Monday (18 December) slammed Serbian elections over a string of “irregularities”, including “vote buying” and “ballot box stuffing”, after the opposition accused the ruling party of committing voter fraud. The accusations aired by the monitors, which included representatives from the Organization for Security and …

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Extraordinary Elections: Bid To Restore Tycoons’ Rule In Serbia? – Analysis

Extraordinary parliamentary elections in Serbia, extraordinary elections for the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, and extraordinary local elections for the capital city of Belgrade and an additional 65 local self-governments will take place on 17 December 2023. According to analysts, these elections are considered the most important since …

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Bosnia And Herzegovina National Arrested For Aiding Escape Of Russian Defendant

A two-count indictment was unsealed Monday in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, charging Vladimir Jovancic, 52, a Bosnia and Herzegovina national who resides in Serbia, with obstructing justice and assisting escape from custody. Jovancic was arrested on Dec. 4 in the Republic of Croatia. In a related operation, Italian …

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Elections In Serbia: Prologue To An All-Out War? – OpEd

Trotsky, once a close friend of Lenin, is believed to have said: “You may not be interested in the war, but the war is interested in you.” This is the situation in South-Eastern Europe which the West had neglected for a long time, tolerating Serbia to weave illusions about the …

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What Bosnian Serb ‘Foreign Agent Bill’ Means In Practice – Analysis

Civil society organisations in Bosnia’s mainly Serb-populated Republika Srpska entity are counting down the days until lawmakers begin debating a bill to restrict the work of non-profit organisations that receive foreign funding. Critics of the bill, which appears inspired by similar legislation in Russia, say it smacks of authoritarianism and …

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Is Aleksandar Vučić ready to give up Milan Radoičić because of the Interpol warrant?

Aleksandar Vučić will defend and protect Milan Radoičić from being extradited to Kosovo and Metohija according to the Interpol warrant, until his authority is threatened in any way, say Danas interlocutors, commenting on the international search for the former vice-president of the Serbian List and Vučić’s closest associate on the …

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Russia’s Energy Clout in the Balkans Is On Borrowed Time

While Russia’s near monopoly on the oil and gas market in Southeast Europe looks secure for now, there will be less and less Russian gas and oil sold on the local market going forward, as Balkan governments and companies look elsewhere for supplies. Russia may have largely lost its sway …

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Bulgarian socialists accused of cobbling fake coalition

Two political parties expressed surprise and anger on Wednesday (6 December) when they learned they had been included in a coalition led by the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) without their knowledge. To increase its political influence in the EU’s poorest country, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), which is part of …

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Extraordinary Elections In Serbia: Domestic And Foreign Factors Vying For Influence – Analysis

On December 17, 2023, the Republic of Serbia will hold extraordinary parliamentary elections, elections for the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, and local elections for the capital city of Belgrade, along with an additional 65 local self-governments. According to the proportional representation system employed for parliamentary elections to …

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