After several days of outages due to the Russia-Ukraine gas dispute, heating in Serbian households was back to normal on Friday thanks to gas imports from Hungary and Germany. Dusan Bajatovic, general manager of Srbijagas, told Balkan Insight that between four and five tons of natural gas should arrive daily …
Read More »Albania Floats Idea Of Balkan Schengen
Kosovo and Albania said they will soon sign an agreement creating a ‘mini-Schengen’ zone allowing free movement across their borders, a deal that could lead to a wider no-border zone in the region. Travel between Albania and Kosovo is currently possible by showing one’s passport or driver’s license. “The agreement …
Read More »Macedonia Parties Agree March 22 Election
The leaders of Macedonia’s four main political parties agreed on March 22 as the date for holding presidential and local elections, seen as a test for the country’s democratic credentials. Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, leader of the ruling centre right VMRO DPMNE party, told local media that parliament speaker Trajko …
Read More »EU seeks to clear gas deal with Russia
MOSCOW/KIEV (Reuters) – The European Union will hold talks with Russia on Saturday to finalize a gas monitoring deal to allow the resumption of gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine, which have been cut off for days over a pricing row. Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, representing the EU presidency, …
Read More »Iran, Turkey Keen to Boost Agro Cooperation
TEHRAN (FNA)- Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Village Affairs Mehmet Mehdi Eker and Iranian Ambassador to Ankara Bahman Hosseinpour in a meeting on Thursday discussed ways to expand cooperation in agriculture and animal husbandry. At the meeting, the Iranian envoy offered to set up a joint agricultural commission to speed …
Read More »Balkans Freeze As Gas Row Becomes Crisis
The impact of the Russia-Ukraine gas dispute on the Balkans reached crisis point on Thursday, leaving hundreds of thousands without heating and forcing businesses to cut production or shut down altogether. Many Balkan countries have no alternative routes and rely almost entirely on Russian gas, which stopped flowing completely on …
Read More »Albania To Apply for EU Candidate Status Soon
Albania will officially apply for EU candidate status in the coming months, Prime Minister Sali Berisha said on Thursday. The announcement came during a meeting with the Czech Ambassador in Tirana on the occasion of the Czech Republic assuming the six-month rotating presidency of the EU in January. Stressing his …
Read More »Hungary Gas To Bail Out Serbia
Serbia clinched a deal with Hungary on Thursday to buy gas from the reserves of its northern neighbour, averting at the eleventh hour a heating crisis sparked by the Russia-Ukraine gas dispute. Local media quoted the cabinet of Serbian President Boris Tadic as saying said Tadic struck the deal with …
Read More »Albania Bids Adieu to IMF Amid Bickering
The International Monetary Fund, IMF, ended its mission to Albania on Thursday after monitoring its economy for 17 years, its departure criticised as premature by economic experts and the opposition. Prime Minister Sali Berisha described the end of the IMF mission as the end of post-communist transition for the Albania’s …
Read More »EU Must Press Serbia On Kosovo –Pack
Germany’s Doris Pack said the European Union should put pressure on Serbia to normalise its relations with Pristina or risk a continuation of the inter-ethnic violence in north Kosovo. Belgrade has vowed to never recognise the declaration of independence by its former province and is keeping a firm hold on …
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