Balkans

THE HAGUE, Netherlands The case at The Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legality of Kosovo’s independence is “the trial of the century”, Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said on Friday (April 17th), as the two sides in the trial presented their arguments.

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) High Representative Valentin Inzko said on Sunday (April 19th) that constitutional changes in BiH are no condition for shutting down the office of the high representative or for the country’s EU accession.

TIRANA, Albania President Bamir Topi on Sunday (April 19th) again urged all citizens to participate in the June 28th general elections, given the importance of these elections to potential EU membership.

Bulgaria’s President, Georgi Parvanov, stated that the country was striving to develop positive business and political relations with the Russian Federation. Parvanov made the statements in an interview for the German Sueddeutsche Zeitung published Monday and cited by the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS. “There are so many great traditions shared …

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini says the attitude of the European Union towards Serbia “has not been good as of lately”. To the remark that he had recently presented an eight-point plan for a speedier EU integration of the Balkans, he underlined that many were wrong to believe that all …

Croat President Stipe Mesic has insisted on an appeal to the International Court of Justice in order to settle its border dispute with Slovenia. His comments followed press reports of a European Union proposed arbitration plan. “A court must establish the facts and Croatia will accept any decision reached by …

The son of the uncontested Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) leader, the late Alija Izetbegovic, says he’ll pull out of politics if he fails to become the new president of the ruling Bosnian Party of Democratic Action, SDA. With this statement, the usually cautious Bakir Izetbegovic has apparently gone beyond the point …

Serbian President Boris Tadic’s visit to Kosovo over the weekend should be viewed as a private religious visit by a Serbian citizen, argues the speaker of Kosovo’s Assembly, Jakup Krasniqi. Tadic entered Kosovo on Friday after initially requesting a visit from the European Union office in Belgrade, in order to …

Recognitions of Kosovo’s independence will continue before and after the decision by the World Court on its legality, says the International Crisis Group’s Sabine Freizer. “It will be good that the decision by the International Court of Justice shall not (explicitly) outline that the declaration of independence was illegal,” said …

Saudi Arabia has recognised Kosovo’s independence, reports Kosovo’s public broadcast network, Radio Television Kosovo, RTK, on Monday. “In accordance to religious and cultural ties with the population of Kosovo, and as a sign of respect for the Kosovo population’s willpower to win independence, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia notifies its …