Eurasia

Skopje/Sofia – A diplomatic row over a prison sentence Macedonia handed to a Bulgarian national could signal growing ethnic tensions and further burden Skopje’s already stalled bid to join the EU and NATO, media said Thursday in both countries. Macedonia recently sentenced 23-year-old mother-of-two Spaska Mitrova to three months in …

During a visit to two villages in the Leposavich municipality on August 5, Kosovo president Fatmir Sejdiu called on Serbs to participate in local elections, Bulgarian news agency quoted Tanyug agency as saying. Serb participation would contribute to a better future for the republic, Sejdiu was quoted as saying.

PODGORICA Montenegrin FM Milan Roćen has said that his country will appoint an ambassador to Kosovo when both sides agree that the conditions for that have been met.

MOSCOW Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will arrive here for an official visit in October, it was announced in Moscow. The news came after Wednesday’s telephone conversation between Medvedev and his Serbian counterpart Boris Tadić.

A three-day visit to Kosovo by the influential leader of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mustafa Ceric, is proving controversial Describing the visit as promoting the “destabilisation of the region”, Milorad Dodik, the premier of Bosnia’s Republika Srpska entity, stressed that Bosnia has not recognised Kosovo’s independence.

Citing current conditions, Serbia’s minister for Kosovo and Metohija, Goran Bogdanovic, argues that Kosovo Force, KFOR, should not be reduced. For the first time in ten years, NATO has made extensive cuts to its peacekeeping forces in Kosovo and Metohija, with KFOR reduced from 44,000 to 13,849 troops, daily Politika …

A modern defence operations centre has been opened in Sarajevo, thanks to the US provision of $5 million in funding. Local media reports that the facility will function as a military command and control centre and can also be utilised in the event of natural disasters. The opening of the …

Liderul Partidului Liberal, Mihai Ghimpu a declarat miercuri, în cadrul unei conferinţe de presă, că negocierile cu celelalte trei partide necomuniste cu privire la formarea unei coaliţii de guvernămant, „merg lent, dar bine”. Ghimpu a refuzat să anunţe un termen-limită pentru finalizarea convorbirilor, dar a spus că acestea urmează să …

Partidul Comuniştilor din Republica Moldova (PCRM) se declară gata să treacă în opoziţie dacă nu va reuşi să formeze o coaliţie cu alte forţe politice, potrivit unui comunicat de presă al PCRM. Potrivit comunicatului, liderul partidului, Vladimir Voronin, a declarat că, în caz contrar, PCRM ar putea trece în opoziţie”.

MOSCOW – A year after fighting a war with Georgia, Russia strengthened the combat readiness of its troops in the rebel region of South Ossetia on Tuesday and warned the United States against rearming Georgia. “Provocations from the Georgian side … are not stopping,” Andrei Nesterenko, a Russian Foreign Ministry …