Balkans

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 …

Fourteen years after the war ended in Bosnia and Herzegovina, mines continue to claim lives and cause serious injuries, and it would seem that the deminer’s job is never done, Anes Alic writes for ISN Security Watch. “This is not earning for living, it is working for death,” said Habiba …

Evropska unija i SAD nadaju se da će na današnjem sastanku biti donesene značajne odluke koje će unaprijediti funkcionalnost BiH, izjavio je Oli Ren, evropski komesar za proširenje. “Zajednički cilj EU i SAD jeste da ubrazamo procese u BiH koji će je što prije dovesti do kandidatskog statusa za člana …

The Hague Tribunal may cease to operate in 2013 but UN forces will stay in Kosovo, says UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Ban said that the Hague Tribunal was considering the possibility of completing its work by the end of 2013 and that back-up mechanisms should be prepared if Ratko …

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner says that all the Balkan states should become EU member-states. “Hurdles remain, but our political position is very clear,“ Kouchner said, adding that French President Nicolas Sarkozy had said as much, “also unambiguously,“ to Serbian President Boris Tadić.

Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci has welcomed the decision to send European Commission observers to monitor the local elections in Kosovo. “We are firmly focused on having free, fair and democratic elections, with turnout as high as possible and the acceptance of high democratic standards, the building of a new …

A “mini Dayton” is getting under way at the Butmir base near Sarajevo attended by officials from the EU and U.S., and the most influential Bosnian leaders. The meeting began with an informal working dinner, where, according to unofficial reports, Bosnian leaders were presented with a set of measures to …

The informal meeting of foreign ministers of South-East European Cooperation Process will begin in Istanbul on Friday. The informal meeting of foreign ministers of South-East European Cooperation Process will begin in Istanbul on Friday. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu will host the two-day meeting. Foreign Ministers and deputy prime ministers …