Balkans

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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On Migrant Route Through Croatia, More Police And More Foreign Smugglers – Analysis

Pressure is building on the Karlovac region of Croatia, situated on the shortest route between Bosnia and Slovenia for refugees and migrants trying to reach western Europe. On September 10, two Turkish citizens arrived in Sarajevo by plane from Istanbul. Prior to leaving Turkey, they had arranged for smugglers to …

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Albanian PM Calls For More Significant Increase In NATO Troops In Kosovo

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has urged NATO to further boost its military forces in Kosovo and deploy them along the country’s border with Serbia, saying that illegal activity, including arms and narcotics smuggling, is currently “out of control” at the frontier. Speaking on November 22 after a meeting in …

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“Swiss diplomacy in Kosovo is not visible”

SWI swissinfo.ch: Often using military force, Russia has imposed pro-Russian separatist movements in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Transnistria and, of course, in eastern Ukraine. However, Putin has always defended himself against criticism, claiming that NATO intervened in Kosovo in 1999. Is that comparison fair? Oliver Jens Schmitt: No, they’re two completely …

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Russia’s Second Front in Europe

The West Must Stop Putin From Provoking Conflict in the Balkans In late September, Serbia deployed advanced weapons to its border with Kosovo, in what amounted to one of the largest Serbian military buildups since the end of the Kosovo war nearly a quarter century ago. In the United States, …

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Kosovo-Serbia: The Odd Couple Who Made Oddity A Science – OpEd

It is doubtful that Kosovo’s Prime Minister Kurti and Serbia’s President Vucic will agree on anything unless the European Council changes the dynamic of the Serbia-Kosovo conflict by rewarding the side that cooperates, which would pressure the non-cooperative party to modify its position Since Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia …

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Von der Leyen says Serbia must normalise relations with Kosovo to join EU

The European Union is counting on Serbia joining its ranks in the future but Belgrade and Pristina need to normalise relations, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after meeting President Aleksandar Vučić during her official visit to Serbia. “Enlargement is at the top of the EU agenda. This …

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Balkans and Central Europe See Rival Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian Protests

Protests in support of both Israel or Palestine have been held in cities across the Balkans and Central Europe, highlighting divisions over the recent bloody events in the Middle East and who is to blame.Balkan and Central European countries saw protests in support of both Israel and Palestine over the …

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ITALY, SLOVENIA AND CROATIA TIGHTEN BORDER CONTROLS

The three neighbours have announced tougher border controls in response to security threats and fears of terrorism related to the Middle East conflict. Italy announced that it would restore border controls with Slovenia on Saturday. Following this, Slovenia informed Croatia that it would do the same. Slovenia would introduce surveillance …

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Vucic has ‘friendly’ meeting with Putin in China

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić had a brief conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, although there was no formal bilateral meeting between them, the Serbian leader said on Tuesday. Instead of attending the Berlin Process Summit in Tirana, Vučić travelled to China to sign a series of trade deals, …

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