Eurasia

WASHINGTON Group of Friends of the UN Secretary General for Georgia has expressed regret over Russia’s decision to veto a UN Security Council resolution on prolonging the mandate of the UN observer mission in the region of Georgia and Abkhazia /UNOMIG/. 

The activation of a new safeguard clause regarding Bulgaria and Romania has been requested by the Netherlands’ Minister of European Affairs, Frans Timmermans, Romanian news agency NewsIn reports Wednesday, quoting his open letter. According to Timmermans, the implementation of the clause must happen with the publishing of the new EU …

Phone lines are melting between EU and US diplomats as countries around the world hunt for a solution to the latest Bosnian Serb challenge. According to media reports, a group of diplomats led by the US and UK have been increasing pressure on the EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana. …

Cyprus’ Defence Minister, Costas Papacostas, told reporters in Belgrade yesterday that his country will never recognise Kosovo’s independence. “This is the consistent stand of the Republic of Cyprus and one that we advocate in the European Union,” Papacostas said at a news conference in Belgrade after formal meetings with Serbian …

Convicted war criminals in the Hague could serve their sentences out in Slovenia. Hague Tribunal President Patrick Robinson opened the subject for discussion with Slovenian President Danilo Tuerk in Ljubljana. They met to finalise plans for phasing out the court’s work and close all cases by the end of 2013. …

Albania has made huge progress despite missing targets to qualify EU visa-free status by the end of the year, according to the country’s foreign minister. “The commission has recognized that Albania is progressing at full speed toward the government’s major goal, lifting visa restrictions within 12 months,” said foreign minister …

Qualifying countries in the Western Balkans could have visa-free status across the EU by the end of the year. The EU Council of Ministers meeting in Luxembourg have green-lighted the European Commission’s scheme of removing visa restrictions for countries in the Western Balkans who meet their criteria.

While the ”name” referendum is a legitimate idea, Macedonia’s leaders should focus on making the undisputed high NATO and EU approval in the country a dream come true, the United States ambassador to Macedonia said. The US ambassador to Macedonia urged its leaders to focus more on entrance into NATO …

Kosovo’s independence is irreversible according to Martti Ahtisaari, Nobel Peace Prize winner and former UN Envoy to Kosovo. He added that international recognitions of Kosovo’s statehood would cement the county’s status. Speaking at a special session of the Kosovo Assembly to celebrate the first anniversary of Kosovo’s constitution, Ahtisaari said …

Macedonia should work towards better relationships with its neighbours if it wants to join the EU, says PACE president Luis Maria de Puig. The president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) said that the road to EU membership is long and hard and that “everyone needs …