Balkans

Newly appointed Albanian Ambassador Villi Minarolli Monday submitted his credentials to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. During the meeting, Serzh Sargsyan highlighted the importance of intensifying political dialogue and extending legal-contractual cooperation.

Serbia is to submit its formal application to join the European Union today, but the largest republic of the former Yugoslavia faces a tough fight to join the 27-member bloc. Even its own parliament is split on the issue with delaying tactics employed by nationalist MPs. Eventually Serbia’s president and …

The deadline for providing the answers to the three questions posed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) judges expires on Tuesday. The judges posed the questions to the countries taking part in the nine-day hearing before that court on the legality under international law of the Kosovo Albanian unilateral …

“Our red lines are well-known-we will not make any compromises on Macedonia’s identity and will not change the Constitution,” said Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov in his annual statement before the MPs. The name issue, Macedonia’s accession to NATO and the European Union, co-operation with the neighbor countries were the issues …

Serbian President Boris Tadić is to visit Kragujevac and Kragujevac-based carmaker Zastava on Monday, his press office announced. According to an annex to the agreement between Serbia and Fiat, the Italian automobile manufacturer will take over Zastava by the end of 2009, the statement issued in Turin, where Tadić was …

Slovenian President Danilo Turk is in Kosovo today for meetings with Fatmir Sejdiu and Hashim Thaci. The visit, described as official, will also see Turk meet with the Kosovo assembly president, Jakup Krasniqi. As he meets with the Kosovo Albanian president and prime minister, they will discuss “bilateral relations between …

Once Serbia becomes a candidate for European Union membership, it will receive EUR 250mn from the European IPA funds. Economic analyst Goran Nikolić said that Serbia is currently using two installments from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) funds worth EUR 200mn, and that once it becomes a candidate for …

Leader of the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) Ali Ahmeti, as expected, was reelected at the Congress Saturday to rule the party next four years. In the 40-minute address to delegates at the Congress, Ahmeti has turned more attention to the implementation of the Framework Agreement, foreign policy, economics, reforms, …

Elections are expected to be re-run in Prizren, Gjilan and Lipjan because of ‘serious fraud and vote stealing’ during the December 13 Kosovo mayoral run-off. The Election Commission on Appeals and Complaints, ECAC, has asked the Central Election Commission, CEC, to rerun the poll in these municipalities after investigations revealed …

Serbian President Boris Tadic travels to Stockholm on Tuesday to officially submit Serbia’s application for EU candidacy. The decision came after Tadic and the country’s Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic signed a request on Saturday night, in the name of the government, for EU candidacy.