The Sarajevo international airport was closed for some 50 minutes on Monday after an anonymous tip about a bomb planted at the airport. Luckily, the tip was a false alarm, the Dnevni avaz daily reported. The information centre of the Sarajevo international airport received an anonymous tip at around 3:20pm …
Read More »NATO reiterates readiness to improve relations with Serbia
BELGRADE, Serbia – NATO is ready to improve its relations with Serbia, but Serbia’s accession into NATO is entirely a domestic decision, outgoing NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said on Saturday (April 4th).
Read More »Italy says it will not withdraw troops from KFOR
PRISTINA, Kosovo – Italy will neither withdraw its troops from KFOR nor reduce its staff in the mission, local media quoted Italian government officials as saying on Monday (April 6th). Italy will not make any move in that direction without a decision by NATO, Italian Deputy Defence Minister Giuseppe Cossiga …
Read More »HNS may support SDP in Zagreb local council
ZAGREB, Croatia – Radimir Cacic, chairman of the Croatian People’s Party (HNS), a smaller opposition party, said on Saturday (April 4th) that he is conducting talks with officials from the main opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) over a potential coalition in the Zagreb municipal council, following the May 17th local …
Read More »EC delays its decision on unblocking ISPA funds for Bulgaria
SOFIA, Bulgaria – The European Commission (EC) has decided to delay its decision over releasing 143m euros in funds under the ISPA pre-accession programme until the end of May, local media reports said Sunday (April 5th).
Read More »Albanian opposition hails NATO membership, urges responsibility
TIRANA, Albania – Opposition party leaders said on Sunday (April 5th) the country’s accession into NATO is an achievement for all Albanians, who did what it took to merit membership.
Read More »Ethnic Albanian leader criticises Macedonia’s stance in name dispute with Greece
SKOPJE, Macedonia – Xhevat Ademi, deputy leader of the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), criticised on Saturday (April 4th) Macedonia’s “lack of willingness” to reach an agreement with Greece in the long-standing name dispute.
Read More »Bulgaria Requests New Russia Pipeline for South Stream Transit
The Bulgarian government has asked Russia to avoid using Bulgaria’s gas pipeline network for transit purposes in its South Stream project. Thus, Russia will have to build a separate gas pipeline in Bulgaria, Deputy Minister of Economy and Energy, Yavor Kuyumdzhiev, stated in an interview on Bulgarian National Radio late …
Read More »Commissioner: European Help May Snag Reforms in Bulgaria
Brussels fears that the involvement of European officials in key positions in Bulgaria’s administration may unnecessarily complicate reforms here, a commissioner said in Sofia. Margot Wallstrom, Vice President of the European Commission and Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy Commissioner, commented the extraordinary new plan, hatched by the government, to involve …
Read More »Bulgarian Government to Reconsider Budget 2009 Spendings
The Bulgarian Government should reconsider Budget 2009 spendings in order to generate surplus. That was Vladimir Karolev’s opinion, expressed at the sixth discussion of the “Debates 2009” campaign, organized by the Bulgarian Industrial Association. Vladimir Karolev is an economist at National Movement for Prosperity and Stability (NMPS), but he stressed …
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