Balkans

Anarchists Claim Greek Embassy Attack

SERBIA A previously unknown anarchist group, Crni Ilija, has claimed responsibility for Monday’s firebombing of the Greek embassy in Belgrade, Beta news agency reported Wednesday. In a statement released to the press, the group said it is demanding the release of fellow anarchist Thodoros Iliopoulos, who was arrested during a …

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Macedonia Name Talks “Enter Crucial Stage”

MACEDONIA UN-brokered talks to settle the Athens-Skopje naming dispute are entering a crucial stage, Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis said Tuesday. She said that Greece faces an important six-months as it seeks to settle key foreign policy issues, including the name row, the online edition of Greek daily Naftemporiki reports. …

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OSCE Concerned About Information Law

The head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Hans Ola Urstad, has expressed concern regarding new amendments to the Law on Public Information, which could be passed by the Serbian parliament on August 31, daily Danas reports. “This is the second time this year that media legislation is being processed …

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Countries Issue Visas to Kosovars without Recognition

Egypt, Vietnam and Cambodia are the latest countries to begin issuing visas to Kosovo passport holders, despite not recognising the state. According to research by the website KosovoThanksYou, Kosovars citizens have visited Egypt, Vietnam and Cambodia in recent months using passports of the Republic of Kosovo. More than 20 countries …

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Macedonia’s Opposition Takes Aim

MACEDONIA Macedonia’s main opposition party, the Social Democrats, SDSM, will put up a tough fight in challenging the government’s economic policies, and will provide alternatives, leader Branko Crvenkovski says. The drafting of the party’s new platform, which focuses largely on the economy, is nearly finished, he said in an interview …

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“Balkans not Obama’s priority”

US The Balkans will not be one of the priorities of U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration, U.S. professor Steven Meyer said. Meyer, a professor of political science at the National Defense University, said that Obama’s administration will only pay an extra amount of attention to the Balkans if a crisis …

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Thaci meets with Feith and Kermabon

KOSOVO Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci on Monday met with international civilian representative Pieter Feith and EULEX Chief Yves de Kermabon. “There was discussion at the meeting regarding current political affairs in Kosovo, especially the decentralization process, the coming elections [November 15] and the implementation of the rule of law …

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New ambassadors in Hungary and Qatar

MACEDONIA Zoran Kostovski and Fuad Hasanovic are the new government propositions for Ambassadors in Hungary, actually Qatar, Makfax news agency reported. Kostovski, who is the General Director of the Consulting House “Motiva” and Hasanovic, who is former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, have been proposed on yesterday’s government session.

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Cooperation between U.S., Bulgaria in revealing drugs trafficking produces good results

BULGARIA The cooperation between the U.S. and Bulgaria in revealing drugs trafficking have been producing good results recently, John Ordway, interim chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria, said at a roundtable discussion. The U.S. helps Bulgaria in security sector in two ways: tactical assistance (trainings and preparation of …

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Greek fires under control as government faces flak

GREECE The wildfires that ripped through the suburbs of Athens forcing residents to flee their homes are now under control. Thousands of hectares of virgin fir and prime forest have been destroyed and hundreds of houses burnt to the ground. The fire broke out last Friday in the village of …

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