Balkans

Serbia is close to removing its visa regime with Albania, Deputy Foreign Minister Zdravko Ponos said on Wednesday (June 23rd) during a visit to Shkodra. Ponos met with representatives of the Serbian and Montenegrin minority in northern Albania. “One of the issues discussed with my colleagues was visas. Albania has …

We would like to see Macedonia in NATO, but we are not sure whether that will happen by November summit, as the summit won’t address NATO enlargement, US Ambassador to Macedonia Philip Reeker said, when asked about the framework for solving name issue by November.

The Spanish parliament has approved the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with Serbia and next will inform Brussels that the ratification procedure is completed, the daily Belgrade-based daily Danas reported on Wednesday (June 23rd), quoting Spanish Ambassador to Belgrade Inigo de Palacio Espana. He says Spain will be the first …

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Security Minister Sadik Ahmetovic met on Tuesday (June 22nd) in Brussels with EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom. They both expressed satisfaction with BiH’s progress in meeting obligations under its EU visa liberalisation road map. Malstrom said she has no doubts that the country will meet …

Heads of state and government of the members of the Southeast European Cooperation Process, SEECP, gathered today in Istanbul under the chairmanship of Turkish President Abdullah Gul.

A person suspected of war crimes in northern Albania was arrested near Đakovica, according to the EU mission in Kosovo (EULEX). “The case is related to the ongoing EULEX investigation of the possible abuse of persons held in KLA camps in northern Albanian

Serbian President Boris Tadić announced on Wednesday that he will attend the 15th anniversary of the crime committed against Muslims in Srebrenica. The massacre, declared a genocide in an ICJ ruling, will be marked next month.

Bulgaria’s President, Georgi Parvanov, asks for the development of a pragmatic regional program for the adaptation of the EU “Europe 2020 strategy” to the Balkans since the region is the next step in the expansion of the Union.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted in Strasbourg Tuesday a resolution on Kosovo. The document outlined a neutral stand on Kosovo’s status, but also pointed to a need for greater

MEP Joseph Daul, who visited Macedonia on Tuesday, expressed his support for solving name row between Skopje and Athens and called it a controversial issue. He said that that the two countries should find a solution within the framework of UN-led negotiations.