Eurasia

The Spanish state secretary for European affairs says his country will “encourage” Serbia and the West Balkans in the EU integration process.

Russia and Ukraine have signed a new agreement on Russian oil transits via Ukraine to Europe for next year, a spokesman for Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz said on Tuesday.

The newly appointed Kosovo Ambassador to Croatia, Veldet Sadiku will present his credentials to Croatian President Stjepan Mesic on Tuesday. Croatia was the first Balkan country to recognize Kosovo’s independence on March 19 2008. The two countries have established diplomatic relations on June 30, 2008. Croatia has already opened a …

Archimandrite Roman has arrived in Georgia. His visit was arranged by the Russian Orthodox Church Holy Synod. The Georgian Patriarchate said Archimandrite is visiting Georgia with the permission of Catholicos-Patriarch of All-Georgia Ilia II.

The Moldovan presidential press service has refuted the media stories that Moldova’s Acting President, Parliament Chairman Mihai Ghimpu was allegedly going to hold a meeting with Ukrainian President Victor Yushenko on Monday.

Montenegrin Deputy Prime Minister Svetozar Marović said that Serbia’s success in European integration will help the entire region’s goals of EU accession. He said that the visa liberalization for Serbia, Montenegrin and Macedonian citizens confirms these countries are on a good path towards the EU and are achieving concrete results …

Rasim Ljajić has announced that he will resign as one of the coordinators of the action team set up to cooperate with the Hague Tribunal. Ljajić, who is also labor minister and president of the Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, said he will submit his resignation to Prime …

A mission from the International Monetary Fund will return to Romania on Jan. 21 to resume aid talks, senate speaker and opposition leftist leader Mircea Geoana said on Monday. Last week Romania’s new centrist coalition government approved an austerity budget for 2010, key to unlocking loan tranches from a 20 …

Freshly uncovered ancient artifacts could strengthen the Macedonian position in the “name” talks with neighboring Greece if only Athens would recognise the argument of facts, Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said on Sunday. 

Interior ministers of Azerbaijan and Georgia discussed the situation with combating the transnational crime. Azerbaijani Minister of Internal Affairs, Colonel-General Ramil Usubov received his Georgian colleague Vano Merabishvili today, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs press-service said.