Eurasia

GEORGIA The USA passed a new border checkpoint in Kazbegi to the Georgian Government on September 4. It was opened by U.S. Ambassador to Georgia John Tefft. Georgian Minister of Finance Kakha Baindurashvili, heads of Border and Patrol Police – Zaza Gogava and Giorgi Grigalashvili attended the opening of the …

GEORGIA The Deputy Speaker of Georgian Parliament, Georgi Tsereteli, has held several meetings while on an unofficial visit to Hungary. Georgia’s internal situation was discussed there. Tsereteli met with the spokesman from the CE Monitoring Committee, Matias Yorsh, and members of the Hungary-Georgia Friendship Group in Hungary’s Parliament, Yanosh Horvat …

ROMANIA Romania’s Prince Radu Duda has withdrawn from the country’s presidential race. Radu – the son-in-law of former Romanian monarch King Michael – pulled out of the race because he feared the election campaign wouldn’t be “fair”. Writing on his blog, the royal said: “I withdraw with regrets but with …

BULGARIA Bulgaria has expected confirmation Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov cannot meet Spaska Mitrova’s mother request and pardon her daugther, deputy foreign minister Marin Raykov said. “I am still waiting to see such letter has been received by her family. Of course, both we and the Bulgarian society will draw conclusions …

BULGARIA “The Council of Ministers passed a decree for cutting the expenses at the institutions and increasing the revenues collectability. It is expected for the measures to secure balanced budget by the end of 2009. The measures envisaging restriction of the expenses met the positive evaluation of the participants at …

HOLLAND Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic said on Friday he needs precisely 14,171 extra hours to prepare his defense against charges of war crimes committed during the 1992-95 Bosnian war, because of the sheer scope of documents and testimony that must be reviewed. Karadzic’s request comes days after prosecutors …

TURKEY The European Commission’s progress report on Turkey, which is expected to be released on Oct. 14, is likely to include praise for the government’s democratic initiative involving the country’s Kurds and the recent protocols announced between Turkey and Armenia.

MACEDONIA Macedonian Justice Minister Mihajlo Manevski declared he will not hand in his resignation. Manevski made a statement for the newspaper in reference to the information that international representatives have required for Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski to dismiss the minister because of the way he works and the serious remarks …

MACEDONIA Almost half of the 240 members of the Macedonian parliament have declared that they have not collaborated to the secret services in the first three days of the lustration process.

MACEDONIA Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov has sent a letter to the mother of Spaska Mitrova, explaining to her that he cannot meet her request and pardon her daughter – Gevgelija resident, who has a Bulgarian passport, without referring the case to the authorities in charge.