Eurasia News

Hungary, Romania Ties ‘To Remain Strong’

Hungary will enjoy good ties with Romania even though the ethnic Hungarian party, the UDMR, will not be part of Romania’s new government, Hungary’s Foreign Minister Kinga Goncz says. “We are determined to maintain good relations with the Romanian government even if it does not have any Hungarian ministers or …

Read More »

OSCE: Albania Lustration Law Unconstitutional

The OSCE has slammed a law presented by Albania’s centre-right government of Prime Minister Sali Berisha, for the lustration of high administration figures as unconstitutional. “The law breaches several articles of the [Albanian] constitution and an all-inclusive debate it’s necessary before its passed,” said Organisation for Security and Cooperation in …

Read More »

Kosovo ‘Lacks European Vision’

Pristina – Everyone agrees that Kosovo should progress towards the EU but there is little talk on how to attain this goal, argues the head of the Club for Foreign Policy, Veton Surroi. “The first statement is that Kosovo doesn’t have a European policy. The good news is that everyone …

Read More »

Romania Coalition Distributes Ministries

Romania’s Democrat-Liberals, PD-L and the leftist Social Democrat Party, PSD, on Wednesday agreed on the distribution of 19 ministries in the future government. Both parties will have 9 ministries, each, while the future Justice Minister will be an independent, Prime Minister-designate Emil Boc said. The main ministries are split as …

Read More »

Embassies’ “Open Doors Day” in Macedonia

Skopje – As part of the celebration marking 15 years since Macedonia established diplomatic relations with 13 European countries, the embassies of several nations are opening their doors to visitors. This will be a rare occasion for the Macedonians to catch a glimpse of the Norwegian, Swedish and the United …

Read More »

Bulgaria Grain Farmers Protest EU Fraud

Grain farmers from all over Bulgaria took part in protests amid concern that fraudulent practices by some farmers would cause the EU to cut further aid to Sofia. Hundreds of farmers took to the roads in tractors and other vehicles in the countryside near the southern town of Stara Zagora, …

Read More »

Bulgaria Approves ‘Unrealistic’ 2009 Budget

The Bulgarian parliament has approved the government’s 2009 budget based on expected economic growth of 4.7 percent, a rate widely criticised as unrealistic amid the global economic slowdown. The budget plans a surplus of 3 percent of gross domestic product, but also raises social and capital spending which analysts have …

Read More »

Bulgaria PM in Macedonian Minority Row

Bulgaria is not preventing an association of Macedonians in Bulgaria from registering as a political party but they instead are refusing to do so, Bulgaria’s Prime Minister claims. Sergey Stanishev was referring to the OMO Ilinden Pirin organisation and made the comments during an official visit to Macedonia in which …

Read More »

Libyan group gives shoe-throwing reporter award

TRIPOLI (Reuters) – The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush was given a bravery award Monday by a Libyan charity group chaired by leader Muammar Gaddafi’s daughter. The charity group Wa Attassimou also urged the Iraqi government to release television reporter Muntazer al-Zaidi after …

Read More »

Some 30 Russian tourists die in Israel bus crash

EILAT, Israel (Reuters) – A bus full of Russian tourists veered off a desert road in Israel and plunged down a ravine on Tuesday, killing up to 30 people and seriously injuring about a dozen more. The crash, near the Sinai Desert border to the north of the Red Sea …

Read More »