Balkans

UN Security Council debate on Kosovo could be postponed due to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s two day visit to Serbia. The UN Security Council session will not be held on August 24 and it will probably be held a week later. 

A Serbian minister has criticized the European Union, claiming it has “double standards” and alleging it is moving the goalposts for Serbia regarding consideration for EU membership. Rasim Ljajic, Serbian Labour and Social Affairs Minister, claimed that the EU’s decision to make Serbia’s cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal of …

One of the four municipality mayors in northern Kosovo expected to decide on the removal of barricades near the border has told press he won’t authorise this. Krstimir Pantic, the mayor of Mitrovica, said that Serbs would remain at the barricade near the village of Rudare until their requests had …

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit EU’s next member Croatia on August 22. Croatia successfully ended its negotiations with the EU and is ready to sign the adhesion treaty and start the process of ratification among member states. Croatia closed accession talks with the European Union which started in 2005 …

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle gave Croatia as a good example for the rest of the countries in the West Balkans, which aim at joining the European Union (EU). Westerwelle welcomed Croatia’s positive efforts and the discipline. “Everyone can see Croatia’s model – a country that makes efforts and follows …

Bulgarian Minister of Agriculture and Food Miroslav Naydenov is to meet with Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry Mimoza Kusari-Lila, who is on a visit to Bulgaria at Naydenov’s invitation, the press office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food announced. The two ministers will discuss …

Erato Markoulli, Cyprus newly-appointed foreign minister, is expected in Athens Thursday for her first official visit to Greece. She is set to have talks with her counterpart Stavros Lambrinidis who is just back from an official visit to Denmark. Markoulli is also expected to hold meetings with leaders or representatives …

Serbia is expected to sign a new stand-by arrangement with the International Monetary Fund, according to Serbian economics minister Nebojsa Ciric. The minister said that the government would continue to discuss

Belgrade team head Borislav Stefanović has stated that the crisis in north Kosovo is over. He stressed that it was unacceptable to allow Priština to establish its institutions in the north, or to have the state of Serbia ousted from Kosovo.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle met in Thursday in Priština with Kosovo Albanian PM Hashim Thaci. Westerwelle said that the agreement on resolution of the crisis in the north of Kosovo should be implemented by all sides and that the dialogue between Belgrade and Priština ought to be continued as …