Eurasia

Macedonia is ready to continue name talks with Greece and finally find an acceptable name solution, which will protect our identity, dignity and integrity of Macedonian citizens, Macedonian negotiator Ambassador Zoran Jolevski said. He added that he had a telephone call with UN mediator Matthew Nimetz, regarding name talks with …

Montenegrin President Filip Vujanović stated that his country would respect the decision made by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The Hague-based UN court is expected to next year give its opinion on the legality of the Kosovo Albanian unilateral declaration of independence. Montenegro is one of the countries that …

Serbian Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanović met in Belgrade yesterday with OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut. The two discussed the current situation and the status of human rights in Serbia’s southern province, the Serbian Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija stated late on Tuesday.

Incumbent President Traian Basescu was officially certified Wednesday by the Constitutional Court for a new five-year tenure as head of state. “The Constitutional Court in the name of the law ruled: Traian Basescu is validated President of Romania,” said Ioan Vida, the court’s chairman.

In the first case of secession brought before the ICJ, 12 of 29 countries side with Serbia, saying that Kosovo’s independence violates international law; but regardless of the final outcome, Kosovo will not return to the Serbian fold, and the entire process is likely to only exacerbate ethnic animosity, Igor …

Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen will be in Belgrade this Wednesday for meetings with President Boris Tadić and Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić. Ahead of his trip to Serbia, Verhagen said that he would tell Serbia’s president and government that the Netherlands was convinced Serbia had a European future and that …

Serbian President Boris Tadić says that Serbia would apply for EU candidacy when it was sure of a positive outcome. Serbia’s move would come when the nations of Europe were ready to welcome its candidacy with “open arms”, he told a conference held at the Serbian parliament, called “The EU …

Romania and the International Monetary Fund, IMF, on Tuesday reached an agreement on a draft budget for 2010, one of the main sticking points for the further disbursement of IMF-led funds. Speaking after meeting Romanian interim Finance Minister Gheorghe Pogea, IMF representative Jeffrey Franks said the next challenge is to …

Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg will arrive once again in Georgia this week to negotiate the release of two teenagers detained in Tskhinvali. According to the Tbilisi Office of the Council of Europe, Hammarberg will arrive in Tbilisi this week and visit Tskhinvali. He will try to …

Romanian prime minister-designate Liviu Negoita said on Wednesday he had stepped aside to allow parties to discuss forming a majority government following President Traian Basescu’s re-election earlier this month. Basescu, who is due to be confirmed by the Constitutional Court for a new five-year term as president on Wednesday, said …