Eurasia

The US Secretary of Commerce, Gary Locke, has congratulated Bulgarian Foreign Minister Kalfin on Bulgaria’s stable economy and banking system. Kalfin completed his two-day visit to the USA with a meeting with Locke, thus becoming the first high-ranking foreign official that the US Secretary of Commerce has welcomed since assuming …

The prime minister of Moldova said on Thursday that authorities in the former Soviet republic were prepared to use all means including weapons, if new opposition protests turn violent. Zinaida Greceanii, in a television address to the nation, said the opposition was planning to stage new rallies on Friday and …

Bosnia must speed up European integration reforms to catch up with neighbours and unite political forces against the economic crisis, the EU presidency chairman said on Thursday. Foreign ministers of the current Czech, previous French and future Swedish EU presidency visited Bosnia this week to review reform progress and tell …

BUCHAREST, Romania Lawmakers chose Mihnea Constantinescu as new ambassador to Moldova on Wednesday (April 8th) after the expulsion of the previous ambassador, Filip Teodorescu. The move came after Chisinau accused Bucharest of interfering in the country’s domestic affairs by backing the riots that broke out on Tuesday following Sunday’s elections.

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia During a meeting in Ljubljana on Wednesday (April 8th), Serbian Defence Minister Dragan Sutanovac said Belgrade has no plans to apply for NATO membership. The issue was raised in light of neighbours Croatia and Albania joining the Alliance last week.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark Denmark is lifting labour restrictions on Bulgarians and Romanians effective on May 1st, the Romanian Employment Agency announced on Wednesday (April 8th). That means Bulgarians and Romanians will have the right to work in the country without the permits currently required and under equal terms with Danish citizens …

ANKARA, Turkey The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) intends to hold talks with the opposition on possible constitutional amendments, Burhan Kuzu, the head of parliament’s Joint Constitution-Justice Commission, told Reuters on Wednesday (April 8th).

TIRANA, Albania Four days after the country’s official acceptance as a member of the Alliance, Albania has appointed its mission to NATO headquarters in Brussels, local media reported on Wednesday (April 8th). Permanent representative for Albania Artur Kuko will lead the mission. Also on Wednesday, Tirana witnessed a ceremonial raising …

THE HAGUE, Netherlands The Appeals Council at The Hague war crimes tribunal on Wednesday (April 8th) ordered the temporary release of former Kosovo Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Astrit Haraqija. The time he spent behind bars awaiting trial equalled the five-month sentence he received for contempt of court. The …

Georgia is bracing for a second day of mass protests as the opposition vows to increase pressure on President Mikheil Saakashvili to resign. In the biggest protest against his rule since an August war with Russia, at least 60,000 opposition supporters rallied in Tbilisi on Thursday demanding Saakashvili leave office …