Balkans

German Foreign Minister Frank Walter-Steinmeier, during a meeting with his Slovak counterpart, said that “he’s positively impressed with the Kosovo developments”, adding that “the country has many other challenges ahead.” Steinmier made these comments after the meeting with the Slovakia Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak.

Croatia would continue bringing its legislation into line with the European Union in order to enter the pan-Europe bloc by 2011, Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic said in the Croatian capital Zagreb on Friday. Speaking after meeting his Hungarian counterpart Kinga Goencz, Jandrokovic said that Slovenia should not block Croatia’s …

SARAJEVO – Austrian diplomat Valentin Inzko was named as Bosnia’s new peace envoy on Friday, with the task of managing tensions between Muslims, Croats and Serbs and speeding up the country’s integration into Europe. The Peace Implementation Council (PIC), the international body that overseas Bosnia’s peace process, said Inzko would …

Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov has stated his support for Moldova achieving “European integration” late Thursday at the start of his two day official state visit to the country, after meeting with his Moldavian counterpart Vladimir Voronin. At a joint press conference Parvanov was clear in his support for Moldova’s European …

Representatives of 12 Bulgarian Orthodox Churches have supported the Patriarch Maxim, calling on the Bulgarian government to stand united with the Church in appealing against a recent decision made by the European Court of Human Rights. The court gave its backing to the Inokentii synod in their bid for independence …

The President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, has called for a fast development of transit-transport cooperation with Bulgaria and Greece in the context of the plans on diversification of energy deliveries to Europe. Nazarbayev made his statement during the ceremony of presentation of credentials from the Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary Ambassadors of …

Florim Ejupi has been found not guilty of bombing a bus in Kosovo by a panel of international judges. A panel of international judges ordered the release of an ethnic Albanian convicted of a 2001 bus bombing that killed 11 Serbs in Kosovo, a spokeswoman said on Friday. Florim Ejupi …

Greece has been rocked by violence since December, when the fatal police shooting of a teenager triggered the worst riots in decades. Greek police fired teargas to disperse a group of about 150 hooded youths who damaged dozens of shops in the centre of Athens on Friday, police said. Greece …

Others say Brussels should move quickly with plans to replace the OHR with a enhanced EU High Representative. The European Union agreed on Thursday to delay changing the role of its military force in Bosnia but expects its candidate for the country’s next high representative to be approved this month, …

Greek and Turkish Cypriots started peace talks in September 2008, the latest bid to end a conflict. Business leaders of Greece, Turkey and the two communities on Cyprus on Thursday urged leaders of the divided island to reach a peace deal this year. Greek and Turkish Cypriots started peace talks …