Balkans

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is currently holding a one-on-one discussion with his Serbian counterpart Boris Tadic. The Russian leader landed at Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport at around 11am and was transported directly to Serbia Palace where he was welcomed with full state and military honours.

Representatives of all three of Bosnia’s main ethnic groups have essentially rejected the package of demands and incentives proposed by senior EU and US officials ahead of Tuesday’s resumption of negotiations. Local, EU and US officials have reconvened today at the Butmir military base near Sarajevo to discuss the package, …

The Hague Prosecution has submitted its plan for the presentation of evidence in the trial of Radovan Karadzic, from which certain crimes have been removed. As per an order of the Hague Tribunal Chamber, the Prosecution has filed “a revised indictment” against Radovan Karadzic, which contains the counts that will …

A European Parliament, EP, committee supports the call of special rapporteur for visa issues, MEP Tanja Fajon, for the acceleration of visa liberalisation for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania, once the two countries meet established criteria. Members of the Committee for Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs also supported Fajon’s …

Macedonia’s border agreement with Kosovo is a classic example of an exchange of territories made in murky conditions and outside the law, Macedonia’s opposition parties allege. The neighbouring states announced on Sunday that they had closed their long-standing border issue. Macedonia’s parliament ratified the agreement on Saturday with a simple …

The opposition Social Democrats, SDSM, would back any government compromise in the Athens-Skopje name row that guarantees that the language and nation would remain unchanged and referred to as Macedonian. “Whatever is acceptable to you will be acceptable to us.” SDSM leader Branko Crvenkovski told Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski at …

Standing at the door of the EU and NATO clubs, Macedonia’s reception largely depends on one thing: compromise over the long-running name dispute with neighboring Greece. Meanwhile, regional stability hangs in the balance, Anes Alic writes for ISN Security Watch. The 14 October report by the European Commission recommended opening …

Evropska unija i SAD vjeruju u uspjeh butmirskog procesa i da će on donijeti konkrete rezultate koji će omogućiti da BiH ne ostane iza ostalih zemalja u procesu proširenja EU, izajvio je Dimitris Kurkulas, šef Delegacije Evropske komisije u BiH. “Nije mi drago niti sam sretan što moram reći da …

After Butmir agreements, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s legislative power should be more effective and it should speed up decision-making process. U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Charles English, said on Sunday that the package of constitutional changes suggested to Bosnia and Herzegovina by the international community will soon be handed over …

Serbian PM Mirko Cvetković met on Monday in Belgrade with Russian Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu. Cvetković was quoted as telling his guest that the visit of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday is extremely important for boosting the overall bilateral relations.