Eurasia

Bucharest’s decision to reduce the number of troops on overseas missions is approved by most Romanians. “This is the right decision, as we will not be risking the lives of our children and we will reduce spending on military operations,” says Mitica Pantea, 47, a construction engineer.

The European Commission has said all parties in Turkey should contribute to the integrity and proper functioning of the Turkish Parliament. A statement released by the office of Stefan Füle, EU commissioner for enlargement, said Turkey might face important challenges

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and his Georgian counterpart Grigol Vashadze met in Tbilisi on June 29 to focus on bilateral relations. “We have an agreement to hold bilateral meetings three or four times a year. We meet to discuss and resolve the existing problems,” Vashadze said after the meeting. …

Bosnia’s Parliament will on Wednesday decide whether or not to support Slavo Kukic, the candidate for Prime Minister proposed by Social-Democrat-led coalition. 

Israeli Foreign Minister Avidgor Lieberman declared on Tuesday in Tirana that Israel will not recognize Kosovo’s independence until all EU states have done so. “We will recognize it only after Spain, Greece and Cyprus,” Lieberman said in the course of a two-day visit in Tirana, lobbing against a possible vote …

President Gjorge Ivanov on Tuesday entrusted Nikola Gruevski with a fresh mandate to form a new government after his VMRO-DPMNE party won the June 5 elections. He has 20 days to complete talks and present a new team to parliament. 

Romanian Ambassador to Moldova Marius Lazurca proposed to the Romanian Ministry of Education creating a scheme of post-university scholarships for young Moldovan specialists, who would commit to later return to

Italy’s Foreign Minister Franco Frattini believes Serbia should get the EU candidate status and a date for the start of accession negotiations by year’s end. He said that Italy was one of the countries that strongly supported the EU integration of the Western Balkans and Serbia. 

Speaker and interim President of Moldova Marian Lupu met with the United States ambassador and the EU ambassadors accredited in Chisinau. The head of the EU Delegation, Dirk Schuebel, told the Moldovan head of the state about the EU’s decision to continue supporting Moldova on the path of internal reforms …

The European Union will allocate to Moldova €7 million for regional development activities that are to be carried out in during 2012-2013. The launching of a pilot Regional Development Program, under which the funds will be allocated within the framework of the Eastern Partnership, was discussed