Eurasia

Greece’s Prime Minister, Lucas Papademos, said on Monday an exit from the euro area and a return to the drachma, the country’s old currency, “is really not an option.”

Croatia’s celebration of its 20th anniversary on Sunday was marked by appeals to support the country’s EU membership bid at a referendum next week. On Sunday, Croatia celebrated two decades since 20 countries, including all the members of the then European Community, announced

Country’s two mainly Bosniak parties have agreed on their ministerial candidates for the new state government. Following the end of Bosnia’s prolonged political stalemate at the end of December 2011 and the appointment of the new Prime Minister on January 12, the country’s six main parties have started proposing ministers …

US Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, Philip Reeker, will visit Skopje on Wednesday on a mission to boost stalled Greek-Macedonian “name” talks. The UN mediator in the dispute, Matthew Nimetz, on Monday and

Protests have continued in Romanian cities reflecting widespread anger against the unpopular government. The demonstrations, in their 4th day, are the result of frustration against public wage cuts, higher taxes and widespread corruption.

Bulgaria’s Defense Minister Anyu Angelov is heading on a state visit in Israel for talks with his counterpart Ehud Barak. Amid reports of a terror threat to Israeli tourists in Sofia, Bulgarian Defense Minister Anu Anguelov will arrive in Tel

The head of the European office of the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Daniel Endres will visit Georgia from Jan 15-20. The visit takes place at the invitation of Georgian Minister for the IDPs and refugees Koba Subeliani. The invitation was sent immediately after Endres’s appointment as a director.

Kosovo deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuci has refused to approve Prince Aleksandar Karađorđević, his wife and ex-PM Božidar Đelić’s visit to Kosovo. The Karađorđevićs and Đelić were planning on visiting the Peć Patriarchate and the Visoki Dečani monastery. Kuci is in charge of approving Serbian officials’ visits to Kosovo and …

China is ready to further advance people-to-people friendship with Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, a senior Chinese legislator said here Thursday evening. Jiang Shusheng, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, made

Pádraig Murphy has been appointed as new co-chairman of Geneva talks on tension prevention in Georgia from the OSCE. As the Georgian Foreign Ministry said, new OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister