Eurasia

BIRN has organised a high-profile conference and open debate today in Belgrade on the further development of South Serbia and possibilities for the increased integration of ethnic Albanians into Serbian state institutions. The conference is entitled ‘South Serbia: From Frozen Conflict to Sustainable Solutions: Opportunities for Long-Term Integration and Development …

Albanian President Bamir Topi on Wednesday kicks off his two-day official visit to neighboring Macedonia. Topi is expected to meet his Macedonian counterpart, Georgi Ivanov, Parliament Speaker Trajko Veljanoski and Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. They are set to discuss bilateral issues as well as regional topics.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou on Monday (April 12th) urged the government in Nicosia to continue talks aimed at reunifying the divided island, regardless of the outcome of the upcoming presidential election in the Turkish-dominated north.

Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha announced on Tuesday that the government had filed the EU questionnaire on the country’s readiness to join the bloc. “We hope to receive an objective evaluation from those who review it,” Berisha said during a cabinet meeting.

Armenian Ambassador to Romania Hamlet Gasparyan handed his credentials to Romanian President Traian Basescu. After the official ceremony, the Ambassador and President discussed the current state of Armenian-Romanian relations and prospects of their development. Traian Basescu noted that the Romanian authorities will facilitate the Ambassador’s mission in every possible way. …

Bosnia and Herzegovina has meet benchmarks for lifting visa requirements, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said. FM Frattini made the remarks, following the meeting with

Croatian President Ivo Josipović will meet with representatives of the Croat community in Bački Monoštor, northern Serbia, on Friday. Josipović would be accompanied by Serbian President Boris Tadić.

The Hague Tribunal prosecutors will today begin presenting evidence in the trial of former Republic of Srpska (RS) President Radovan Karadžić. Since the court has rejected the defendant’s multiple attempts to postpone the continuation of the trial, in case he refused to appear in the courtroom today, he would be …

The Vatican has not recognized Kosovo out of consideration for the Serbian Orthodox Church, Cardinal Walter Casper was quoted as saying. “We, naturally, know that Kosovo is a heavy wound and pain for the SPC. We know that Kosovo is the cradle and center of Serb orthodoxy. We understand that …

Romania, Georgia and Azerbaijan Tuesday signed a deal in Bucharest for gas transport through the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Romania-Interconnection project, known as Agri, which might be completed sooner than Nabucco, Romania’s Economy Minister Adriean Videanu said. The memorandum of understanding was signed by Videanu, the Azeri minister of industry and energy, Natig Aliyev, …