Eurasia

The chief of Bosnia’s negotiating team for visa liberalisation has told local media that most of the work on fulfillment of conditions for a visa-free regime with the EU could be completed by September this year. Negotiator Samir Rizvo said that among the requirements that remain to be addressed are …

Rohatinski has told local media that the country needs 5.7 billion euros to finance this year’s deficit, despite the fact that just two months ago, he said that financial aid would be unnecessary. Rohatinski called on the government to follow a responsible fiscal policy in terms of public sector savings, …

At a meeting in Belgrade, the Presidents of Serbia and Palestine, Boris Tadic and Mahmoud Abbas stated that a peaceful and final settlement of the Middle East Crisis can only be reached by negotiation, and ruled out the imposition of any kind of solution. Speaking at a press conference, Abbas …

The UN mediator in the “name” dispute between Greece and Macedonia did not table any new proposals during his two-day visit to Macedonia, local media reported, but only “felt the pulse” of the local authorities. On his arrival on Monday afternoon, Matthew Nimetz met with Macedonia’s Foreign Minister, Antonio Milososki. …

After an all day session, voting 83 in favor and 45 against, Croatian MPs approved the new government proposed by prime minister-designate Jadranka Kosor just after midnight last night. The move to form a new government comes after the suprise resignation of Prime Minister Ivo Sanader last week. Opposition MPs …

Albania’s Supreme Court on Monday again delayed the case against former defence minister Fatmir Mediu – indicted over a deadly blast at a munitions depot in March 2008 – after his lawyers failed to show up in court. The lawyers notified the court that they were stranded in Kukes, in …

The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is due to arrive in Belgrade on Tuesday for talks with the President of Serbia, Boris Tadic, and other officials on bilateral issues, the situation in the Balkans and the Middle East crisis. 

Turkey will continue to support Kosovo’s independence, its speaker of parliament, Koksal Toptan, said in Pristina on Monday. Toptan arrived in the city on Sunday on his first visit to Kosovo. During a meeting with his counterpart, Jakup Krasniqi, the Turkish speaker said Ankara was undertaking various initiatives to lobby …

Macedonia’s State Secretary for European Integration, Pero Dimsovski, has appeared to criticise his own government for its alleged lack of commitment to bringing the country closer to the European Union. In an interview on Monday for Radio Free Europe, commenting on last week’s unexpected resignation of Deputy Prime Minister in …

Kosovo’s capital Pristina has made an associate member of the EUROCITIES network, authorities announced on Monday. Pristina Mayor Isa Mustafa accepted the invitation from Brussels to join, as an associate member, the EUROCITIES grouping, according to a local government press release.