Eurasia

WASHINGTON, BELGRADE U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said that his country is against “any kind of partition of Kosovo”. “I can tell you that our policy remains unchanged,” Toner said, according to Albanian language media in Priština. He said that he is not familiar with the idea of Republican …

NOVI SAD Opposition Liberal-Democratic Party (LDP) President Čedomir Jovanović believes that Serbia has “the slowest and least organized government in Europe”. According to him, it’s a government with too many members who are afraid of taking risks and too few of those who have any ambitions.

Belgrade should make decisions on the issuance of passports to Kosovo residents, Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic says. “We have received with sorrow the news that visa liberalisation will not include Kosovo and Metohija residents, but the EC [European Commission] considers that the conditions for people in Kosovo to travel …

Croatian President Stjepan Mesic has rejected a planned tax hike, saying it is illegal and will hurt the poor, news agency Javno reports. A statement from his office said that Mesic sent the tax bill to the Constitutional Court on Monday, arguing the legislation: “does not respect the principles of …

The Serbian government will choose the best possible moment for submitting its EU membership request, which will occur by year’s end, a top Serbian official told daily Blic. The director of the EU Integration Office in Serbia, Milica Delevic, told the daily on Sunday: “This shows the desire to speed …

PRISTINA, Kosovo Saudi Arabia has recognised Kosovo’s independence, the Kosovo foreign ministry announced on Friday (August 7th). The ministry’s statement said the two countries have already signed an agreement to set up diplomatic representation. Over 60 countries have recognised Kosovo since it declared independence last February.

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) The police announced on Saturday (August 8th) that they have arrested former mujahedeen Karaj Kamel bin Ali, also known as Abu Hamza, who escaped from the Zenica prison two weeks ago. Bin Ali was detained close to the prison where he failed to return after …

TIRANA, Albania Albania is ready to probe allegations of organ harvesting during the Kosovo conflict, but says any investigation on its territory must be carried out by domestic authorities. After a meeting with visiting Council of Europe special rapporteur Dick Marty, Justice Minister Enkeiled Alibeaj told reporters the government is …

ANKARA, Turkey Talks expected to boost Ankara’s energy hub ambitions began Thursday as Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Putin’s visit is also expected to focus on Turkish support for a Russian natural gas pipeline project that Moscow wants to build ahead of …

Moscow/Tbilisi Russia and Georgia marked the one-year anniversary of the South Ossetia War on Friday with somber ceremonies in Georgia, and defiant statements from the Kremlin. Georgian officials organised midnight bonfires in towns across the former Soviet republic, and church bells rang in memorial of victims of the August 2008 …