Balkans

Albania’s opposition Socialist Party staged a rally in Tirana on Saturday, calling for a recount of the ballots from the June 28 parliamentary elections. The rally was attended by several thousand party supporters and was also backed by several minor opposition parties and various civil society groups. Socialist leader Edi …

Serbia’s Justice Ministry has announced that the Constitutional Court will be relocated from Belgrade to the town of Sremski Karlovci in 2010. In an interview with Tanjug news agency, the ministry’s state secretary, Slobodan Homen, explained that the decision comes as part of a wider effort to decentralise the state …

A Kosovo Albanian judge who voted against a decision to send three former so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) members to jail has been suspended. Rahman Ratkoceri stated that he was against the decision to find the three suspects guilty of committing war crimes.

Bulgaria is going to open a consulate in the city of Timisoara in the first half of 2010 in order to strengthen its economic relations with Western Romania. This has been announced by Bulgaria’s Consul in Bucharest, Yavor Stoyanov.

Bulgaria voiced it support on Friday to the ongoing efforts aimed at reunifying divided Cyprus in a joint declaration signed here during Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov’s visit. “The Republic of Bulgaria expresses its support to the efforts to solve the Cyprus problem on the basis of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation …

Bosnia’s rival ethnic leaders have been warned to settle their differences or risk political isolation. It follows a meeting between Western diplomats and heads of Bosnia’s main parties to discuss ways of ending a stalement that’s kept the nation behind others seeking to join NATO and the EU.

We hope EC report on Macedonia progress will be a real assessment of the progress and achievements of the country, said Macedonian foreign minister in Istanbul on Friday. Milosovski expressed in his statement during the informal meeting of the foreign ministers of the South-East European Cooperation Process his hope the …

Kosovo is an independent country and Serbia should accept that, said spokesperson of Kosovo government Memli Krasnici, referring to the question whether over the practical benefits, which the regional co-operation brings, the official representatives of Belgrade and Pristina should stop insisting on forms and symbols at international level.

The former US Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger hopes Macedonian-Greek relations to improve after power change in Greece. Pointing he is not expert on Greek policy, Eagleburger expressed his hope that probably the new Greek government would accept the name not to stand in Macedonia’s way to NATO and EU. 

The European Commission said Friday it has appointed an envoy to assist in the U.N.-brokered Cyprus reunification talks aimed at ending 35 years of division on the island. “The president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, has decided to detach Leopold Maurer as his personal representative to the Good …