Eurasia

KFOR downsized from 14,000 to 10,000 troops effective, the peacekeeping force announced. KFOR — made up of troops from 32 countries — will continue to provide security and stability for all Kosovo communities. The downsizing is being implemented in accordance with a NATO decision from July 2009 amid improving security …

A Bosnian Serb wanted by Republika Srpska (RS) authorities for war crimes against civilians has been arrested in Georgia. BiH Justice Ministry official Jusuf Halilagic said that Sasa Lipovac, 40, is in custody pending extradition. The RS Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant for Lipovac in 2008 after he failed …

Albanian Foreign Minister Ilir Meta said  that defining maritime borders with Greece is a priority for Albania. Last week, the Constitutional Court in Tirana decided that an agreement on the border delineation violates the constitution and must be renegotiated. The opposition Socialist Party (SP) asked the court to for the …

A new border between Romania and Moldova will open no later than on February 12. At least this is what Romanian authorities promised. The announcement was made by prefect of Botosani, Cristian Roman. He met Sunday with County Council President Mihai Ţibuleac, with customs authorities and Border Police, but also …

Serbia’s decision to join NATO would have negative effects on its relations with Russia, Konstantin Kosachev said. “For us, such a decision would be inexplicable and would have a negative effect on relations between Russia and Serbia,” the Chairman of the Duma Committee on International Affairs said. “A possible decision …

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today approved three-year arrangements for the Republic of Moldova under the Extended Credit Facility and the Extended Fund Facility. With each facility providing an equal amount, the combined financial assistance will be equivalent to SDR 369.6 million (about US$574.4 million) to …

The interim trade agreement between the European Union and Serbia officially comes into force on February 1st. The Chief of EU delegation in Serbia, Vincent Degert told the press in Belgrade that the economic significance of a full implementation of the Interim Agreement is that Serbia will be more attractive …

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has arrived in Cyprus on a mission to re-energise peace talks between the island’s estranged Greek and Turkish communities. Their leaders have been engaged in 17 months of open-ended negotiations which have achieved some movement on the key issue of power-sharing under a federal model, but …

The trial against former Defence Minister Berislav Roncevic and his assistant, Ivo Bacic, began in a Zagreb court Friday (January 29th). The anti-corruption office, USKOK, charged them in late October with abuse of power over a 2004 procurement deal involving military trucks. Prosecutors say the contract cost the state millions …

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said on Saturday (January 30th) that Western Balkan countries have made significant progress and are moving fast along their road to EU integration.Bildt acknowledged some open issues in the region, but said the situation is nevertheless much better than in the last six months of …