Balkans

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) will officially hand in its action plan for NATO membership. The action plan will be handed to NATO Secretary General Andres Faugh Rasmussen by the Chairman of BiH presidency Zeljko Komshic. Head of NATO quarters in BiH, Sabat Eric said that the country satisfies some of …

The Tirana-based Macedonian Association ILINDEN strongly denounced the statement by Pandeli Majko, who called on Albanians to burn Macedonian flag. In a statement to media, the ILINDEN Association also condemned the recent incident in Tirana, where Macedonian national flag was set ablaze. “We are appalled at this vandalistic and uncivilized …

United States president Barack Obama has named James Warwick to be the next US ambassador in Sofia, Bulgarian news agency Focus said on October 2 2009. However, on October 2 there were no statements about the nomination on the websites of the White House or the US senate.

Bulgaria’s Cabinet was considering seeking a 1 billion euro loan from the World Bank under the Government Priorities funding budget, Regional Development and Public Works Minister Rosen Plevneliev said. The new credit would add to the 1 billion euro the country was seeking from the European Investment Bank (EIB).

Three former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, have been found guilty of conducting a torture campaign at a prison camp in the remote Kosovo hills. Latif Gashi, Nazif Mehmeti and Rrustem Mustafa were convicted on Friday of war crimes committed during the conflict in Kosovo.

The Kosovo and Metohija Political Forum has been established in the town of Gracanica, ahead of Kosovo’s forthcoming local elections, to represent local Serbs. Broadcaster B92 reports that the forum was created at the initiative of 50 Gracanica residents, and neighbouring villages, in order to unite Kosovo Serbs. The leader …

Albanian Foreign Affairs Minister Ilir Meta, has said that the EU rule of law mission, EULEX, is vital in strengthening Kosovo’s institutions. “EULEX will help bring European standards to Kosovo’s institutions, especially [in moving] towards a government based on the rule of law” Meta said during a meeting with ethnic …

Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor could soon receive an invitation for an official meeting with US President Barack Obama at the White House. Daily Vecernji list reports that Croatian and American diplomats are working intensively on setting up the Kosor-Obama summit. Should it take place, Kosor would be the first …

The Bulgarian Cabinet has approved a three-year plan for mutual assistance and co-operation between the Bulgarian Health Ministry and its Chinese counterpart, a Government media statement said.

There is no possibility for radical Islam to flourish in the country, according to Bulgarian Defence Minister Nikolai Mladenov, as quoted by the Bulgarian National Television on September 30 2009. Mladenov is in Gotheburg Sweden, at the EU defence ministers conference, where one of the paramount topics earmarked for discussion …