Eurasia

Russia will seek guidance from the World Trade Organisation on how to proceed with accession talks with two former Soviet republics, Moscow’s chief negotiator said on Thursday. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said this week that Russia was dropping its 16-year bid to unilaterally join the WTO and would only join …

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Exclusive footage aired Wednesday evening (June 10th) on Federal Television of BiH (FTV) that shows former Bosnian Serb Army Commander Ratko Mladic hiding in plain sight in Serbia.

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) The House of Representatives adopted a set of laws Wednesday (June 10th) necessary for achieving a visa liberalisation regime with the EU. Prime Minister Nikola Spiric briefed lawmakers on BiH’s progress toward visa-free travel. To take effect, the new legislation needs the approval of the …

ANKARA, Turkey Turkey and Iraq signed a military co-operation agreement Wednesday (June 10th), further boosting efforts against the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Deputy Chief of the Iraqi Army General Staff, Nasier Abadi, and his Turkish counterpart, Hassan Igsiz, signed the agreement in Ankara.

TIRANA, Albania Greek authorities are allowing Albanian immigrants to visit their country for the June 28th general elections. The Greek Interior Ministry said on Wednesday (June 10th) that all Albanian immigrants can go home twice this year and come back to Greece legally, between late June and late September.

PRISTINA, Kosovo The government is asking the OSCE mission to help organise local elections this autumn, Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuci said in a press conference Wednesday (June 10th) after meeting with OSCE chief Werner Almhofer. “The Kosovo government invites the OSCE to work together, to have full co-operation,” he …

President Saakashvili said Tbilisi was in “intensive consultations” with its western allies not to allow the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution, which would not make a reference to Georgia’s territorial integrity. The UN Security Council’s new Abkhaz resolution is expected by June 15, when the current four-month mandate …

NATO Defence Ministers agreed yesterday in Brussels to reduce the KFOR troop presence in Kosovo, taking into account the steady improvement of the security situation there. “The decision to gradually reduce troop numbers will reflect this [security situation] development,” reads a report issued by NATO headquarters.

The Bosnian Serb leadership has delivered another blow to the waning international presence in Bosnia, by ignoring a western ultimatum and deadline to abolish a disputed Assembly declaration, media reported on Friday. The Assembly of the Serb-dominated Bosnian entity of Republika Srpska by Thursday evening failed to discuss the demand …

A concluding meeting between Serbian officials and the European Commission will take place today in Brussels before any decision can be made on abolishing the visa regime for Serbian citizens traveling to EU countries. Officials will study the EC report on Serbia to determine whether the country has met the …