Balkans

Moldova’s president has accused neighboring Romania of instigating violent protests against the newly elected Communist government, and declared the Romanian ambassador in the Eastern European country “persona non grata.” Wednesday, president Vladimir Voronin said the protests were a part of attempts to overthrow his government.

BUCHAREST -Romania Wednesday rejected accusations by Moldova’s President Vladimir Voronin that it had played a role in the anti-Communist unrest that have shaken Chisinau. “This accusation is a provocation aimed at the Romanian state,” Romania’s foreign ministry said in a statement issued shortly before Moldova told Bucharest’s ambassador in Chisinau …

CHISINAU – Moldova has ordered the Romanian ambassador to leave the country within 24 hours, the Moldovan foreign ministry said on Wednesday after officials blamed Bucharest for bloody riots a day earlier.

Moldova sank deeper into political crisis on Wednesday when its government accused Romania of organising an “attempted coup” and ordered its ambassador out of the country. Mobs ransacked Moldova’s parliament and its presidential office on Tuesday after the Communist party won a general election. President Vladimir Voronin, a Communist, said …

Sweden’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that Bosnia would not be able to apply for European Union membership as long as it was supervised by an international peace envoy. Carl Bildt said the country was not ready to apply during his country’s EU presidency in the second half of this …

TIRANA, Albania – A four-year-old Albanian boy is among the victims of the earthquake that rocked central Italy early on Monday (April 6th), according to the Albanian Embassy in Rome. Four Macedonian nationals of Albanian ethnicity are also among the victims.

SKOPJE, Macedonia – Sunday’s second round of presidential and local elections went in accordance with “most international standards”, the OSCE said in a statement Monday (April 6th). We were pleased to see a peaceful environment and a well-administered Election Day, although some aspects of the campaign period seriously detracted from …

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) – The country needs ten years and 400m euros to clear about 220,000 mines left over from the 1992-1995 conflict, the BiH Mine Action Centre announced on Monday (April 6th).

BELGRADE, Serbia – The Serbian army is the best and most professional in the region, Defence Ministry Secretary Dusan Spasojevic said on Monday (April 6th), citing a report by the US analysis and research agency Stratfor.

ATHENS, Greece – Parliament voted early on Tuesday (April 7th) to form a special committee to investigate former Aegean Minister Aristotelis Pavlidis for bribery, a move that may threaten the ruling New Democracy (ND) party’s one-seat majority.