Balkans

MACEDONIA Czech Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jan Kohout, kicks off a working visit to Macedonia on Wednesday. Kohout is scheduled to meet with the Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov, Parliament Speaker Trajko Veljanovski and Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. He is also due to hold talks with the …

The process of accession to the EU must not be blocked by any Union member, said Martti Ahtisaari, Nobel Prize winner and ex-Finland’s prime minister. He gave the statement in the context of the bilateral disputes between the candidate-countries for membership, highlighting the Slovenian-Croatian border row. “Regardless of the reasons, …

CROATIA Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor has suggested to her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that South Stream gas pipeline should cross the territory of Croatia, Croatian Jutarnji List writes. Kosor met with Putin in the Polish city of Sopot, close to Gdansk where the 70th anniversary since the beginning of …

GEORGIA The Georgian Deputy Prime Minister, Giorgi Baramidze has left for Montenegro to pay a working visit. Baramidze will meet with Prime Minister of Montenegro, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Defense and Foreign Affairs. In the history of Georgia and Montenegro, this is the first visit of this kind. …

BULGARIA Bulgaria expects to reverse current recession and be back to economic growth in 2011, a finance ministry forecast said Wednesday. The economy is expected to contract by 6.5% this year and by 2% in the next year and grow by 3.8%, 4.8% and 5% in 2011, 2012 and 2013 …

BULGARIA The Bulgarian MPs elected members of “Stanishev” Committee, which would check up on former government’s deals and appointments, made over the last year of its term of office. The commission would be composed of 11 MPs from all parliamentary groups and would work for two months.

RUSSIA Russia asks Bulgaria to make the soonest decision concerning its participation in joint projects and is ready to supply all the necessary information, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borissov on Tuesday. “We understand that the new government needs time to study materials, and we will …

GREECE Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis would meet President Karolos Papoulias, Naftemporiki online edition informed. It is expected government’s speaker Evangelos Andonaros to announce information on the coming meeting. Most probably Karamanlis would ask President to set fate for early parlialmentary elections so the cabinet to issue the new budget …

BELGIUM Macedonian ambassador to Brussels, Blerim Reka, is not satisfied with the decision for Dejan Gjorsovski to be appointed special representative to the EU headquarters, Macedonian A1 television reports, citing diplomatic sources. Ambassador Reka, however, has been assured that Gjorsovski’s arrival will not put his post at risk. According to …

MACEDONIA Macedonian government has started preparing citizens for the change of country’s name, part of analyzers consider after foreign minister Antonio Miloshovski’s statement Greece would block opening of the EU accession talks. On the other side, experts interpret the statement as new “Greek veto” and as an alibi behind which …