Balkans

Ukraine will cut a third of its contingent of soldiers in Kosovo, according to the country’s defense minister. “This is in accordance with the general tendency of KFOR to reduce its number of soldiers stationed in Kosovo,” Defense Minister Valerii Ivashchenko said.

Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) agreement scrapping bilateral visa requirements entered into force on Sunday. The agreement will allow Albanians and Bosnians to visit each others countries for up to 90 days without having to apply for visas, Albania’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Albanian foreign ministry’s spokesman Ralf Gjoni …

Russian ambassador to Sarajevo Aleksandr Harchenko said that “he would not classify Bosnia-Herzegovina as a powder keg”. He also said that Russia supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of that country.

Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Roumyana Zheleva said on November 2 that the country was still vulnerable to a suspension of natural gas deliveries in case of a new dispute between Russia and Ukraine. Zheleva participated in a seminar in Sofia titled Energy diplomacy and integrated European policy on energy and climate …

Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, who has boycotted his trial on genocide charges since it started last week, will appear in court on Tuesday, two of his legal advisers said on Monday. Karadzic, 64, has denied all 11 war crimes charges brought against him over the 1992-95 Bosnian war, …

Bosnia’s largest newspaper publisher Avaz and the country’s Islamic Community has accused the office of the top international envoy in the country of slander, after its officials allegedly implicated top Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) leaders in crime. The Avaz Publishing Company announced they are planning to press charges against Deputy High …

Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said on Saturday that she was trying to find a replacement for former Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Damir Polancec as soon as possible, but refused to disclose any names. “I am trying to solve that as soon as possible. Consultations are under way, …

Thousands of Kosovo Albanians welcomed Bill Clinton in Pristina on Sunday in a ceremony to inaugurate a statue of the former US President. Clinton, who first addressed the Kosovo parliament, joined thousands of his fans in the “Bill Clinton” boulevard.

Dozvole za međunarodni cestovni prevoz (CEMT) u Ministarstvu prometa i komunikacija BiH dijeljene su mimo Pravilnika, a prevoznici su za njih morali plaćati ogromne sume novca. Kazao je ovo juče Drago Kalabić, predsjedavajući Istražne komisije za provjeru raspodjele CEMT dozvola Parlamenta BiH, pozivajući se na prijave prevoznika koji su se …

Croatia will hold the first round of presidential elections on December 27, officials said on Friday. If none of the candidates garners more than 50 percent of the vote, the runoff election will be held on January 10, 2010. The incumbent President Stjepan Mesic’s term in office expires in early …