Eurasia

Turkey, Italy and Russia are set to sign a MoU on Samsun-Ceyhan petroleum pipeline. Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız arrived Monday in Milano where he will be signing the MoU on behalf of Turkey. Yıldız was welcomed by Italian Economy Minister Claudio Scajola and Russian Deputy Premier Igor Ivanovich Sechin.

U.S Deputy Minister of Defense Alexander Vershbow will participate in a meeting of the working group on security on October 20, Georgian foreign minister Alexander Nalbandov said at a traditional briefing on October 19.

Today, on Oct. 19, in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone, the Ergenti village will host the next meeting of the working group comprising representatives of the South Ossetia and Georgia under the OSCE mediation within the Geneva format. This meeting is dedicated to prevent tension in the region.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping arrived in Bucharest on Sunday to start his official visit to Romania after he concluded a visit to Hungary. In a written statement upon his arrival at the airport, Xi said China and Romania have enjoyed long-term friendship, and they have enhanced political trust, cooperation …

Three former envoys to Bosnia have issued a joint statement critiquing the latest EU-US effort to end the country’s political crisis and proposing a new international approach. The statement was issued by Wolfgang Petritsch, Paddy Ashdown and Christian Schwarz-Schilling, who served as high representatives to Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1999 …

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dacic says that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to Serbia on Tuesday is historically significant for both countries. The visit will see the joint celebration of the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Belgrade during World War II and the signing of a number of …

Macedonia and Kosovo have established full diplomatic ties by deciding to exchange ambassadors, both countries’ foreign ministries confirmed in Sunday press releases. The US and EU have praised the move, while Serbia, which strongly opposes Kosovo’s independence declaration, protested. The agreement was inked by Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki and …

Serbia will welcome Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday with a concert by 100 trumpeters in Belgrade’s Trg Republika Square. Medvedev will be accompanied by a circa 100-strong delegation of associates, ministers and significant businesspeople. The delegation will include: Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Extraordinary Situations Minister Sergei Shoigy, Gazprom President …

Egypt and Croatia agreed to bolster cooperation over the weekend, according to a Croatian government communiqué, released to mark the visit of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to Zagreb. According to the statement, the sides “agreed to achieve closer cooperation” in the energy and tourism sectors, AFP reports.

The current situation in the Balkans reveals a worrying trend of political and security developments that may lead to renewed round of brinkmanship, even of conflict, between different countries and ethnic groups. Although, for the time being, the Balkan issues have not attracted the eye of the global media, it …