Balkans

Azerbaijani Agriculture minister Ismet Abasov met on Tuesday with a Bosnian delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture Jerko Ivankovic-Lijanovic. The two sides discussed about bilateral cooperation in the field of agriculture. Abbasov said there are favorable soil and climatic conditions Azerbaijan, high export potential and favorable …

The Bulgarian Government has canceled the idea to construct a border fence with Turkey, a border aimed to stop infiltration of animals infected with foot-and-mouth disease. The government said it cannot afford the construction of the 181-km border fence. The project would cost almost 14 million euro, and the Bulgarian …

Hashim Thaci called for calm after the murder of five Macedonian men in Skopje last week. Rumours that the men were killed by Albanians raised the tension, but the police say there is no evidence to support the claims. Thaci added that both Albanians and Macedonians need to keep the country …

Bosnian FM Zlatko Lagumdzija said on Monday that he hopes Bosnia would join NATO by 2014, marking a hundred years since World War I started in Sarajevo. The ruling party in the Republika Srpska reacted on Tuesday saying that the FM was spreading his own personal views rather than the …

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman started a visit to Cyprus for 3 days. He will discuss on Monday energy issues with authorities on the Greek side. The Israeli minister will meet Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Hristofias, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism Neoklis Sylikiotis and Greek Cypriot political party leaders.

Serbia will not hold local elections in Kosovo, the country’s Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanovic announced. The UNMIK refused to organize local elections in Kosovo. The Serbs in Kosovo will vote for president and MPs. “We received a negative response from UNMIK and we do not want to violate Resolution …

Belgrade chief negotiator with Pristina, Borislav Stefanovic, said that Belgrade is ready to continue the Kosovo dialogue sponsored by EU. He also expressed hope that Serbia will get the date for the start of talks with the EU by the end of 2012. “It will be difficult, but we are …

Cyprus must avoid any provocations that could risk the region’s stability amid the intention to conduct energy exploration, Washington announced before of the U.N. secretary-general’s decision on the future of Cypriot reunification talks.

Bulgaria’s Vice President Margarita Popova visited the town of Bosilegrad in Serbia, which is populated by ethnic Bulgarians. She said on Sunday (Bulgarian Orthodox Easter Day) at the Bulgarian Cultural and Information Center in Bosilegrad: “Serbia will become a member of the EU but there is no way this could …

The EU Foreign and Security Policy chief Catherine Ashton condemns the recent series of arrests and aggressive language between Pristina and Belgrade and urged the two sides to respect their earlier commitments. Baroness Ashton’s office announced on Friday that the EU is monitoring the latest developments in Kosovo seriously and …