Political corruption remains a huge problem for Bulgaria while the country cannot benefit from its EU membership and European topics are absent from the public dialogue. These are some of the opinions voiced Friday by European Union (EU) Member States’ Ambassadors to Bulgaria and other diplomats.
Read More »EULEX Praised for ‘Firm’ Handling of Northern Clashes
Ambassadors negotiating political settlement to end protests in Mitrovica. Senior diplomats and analysts have praised EULEX’s handling of its first major challenge in northern Kosovo. The EU rule-of-law mission has used tear gas and, on one occasion, used stun grenades against Serbian protesters opposed to the reconstruction of Albanian homes …
Read More »Bosnian Serbs Called Off from NATO Drill
Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik caused a new diplomatic and political scandal, by calling off ethnic Serb soldiers from NATO exercises in Georgia, local media reported on Friday. “Bosnia and Herzegovina has no reason to participate in this (exercise),” Dodik, who is Premier of the Serb-dominated Bosnian entity of Republika …
Read More »Serbia Hotly Debates Kosovo’s IMF Membership
The prospect of Kosovo’s acceptance into the International Monetary Fund is raising some awkward questions in Serbia, and has precipitated debate within the country about the fate of the former province’s debt. The countries that made up the former Yugoslavia have divided up the debt, including IMF obligations, as well …
Read More »Macedonia President Appeals on Name Issue
Macedonia’s outgoing President Branko Crvenkovski has made a last ditch appeal as Head of State to the government to increase its efforts and find a quick compromise with Greece on the so-called ”name” row. In his farewell meeting with the press before he formally steps down on May 12, Crvenkovski …
Read More »Ex Slovene PM: We Need Fairness, Not Equity
If we want the current initiative of the European Commission on resolving the border issue between Slovenia and Croatia to work, “Slovenia would have to receive a much better proposal that Olli Rehn`s latest proposal”, former Slovene prime minister and the president of the most powerful oppositional party, the Slovene …
Read More »Lavrov says new START to be key issue at Russia-US summit.
WASHINGTON Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said a new strategic arms reduction treaty (START) will be the key issue at the upcoming Russia-US summit in Moscow in July and experts will work in the coming months to provide proposals for the Russian and US Presidents, Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama.
Read More »Obama sees “excellent opportunity” to reset relations with Russia.
WASHINGTON US President Barack Obama said on Thursday after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov he saw an “excellent opportunity” to reset previously strained relations with Russia on a wide range of issues.
Read More »Georgia detains former NATO coordinator on suspicion of espionage
TBILISI Georgian counterintelligence officers detained former head of the Coordinating headquarters of the NATO Partnership for Peace plan Irakly Batkuashvili on suspicion of espionage, his lawyer Onise Mebonia said on Thursday.
Read More »SDP’s Krivokapic re-elected as Montenegro’s parliament speaker
PODGORICA, Montenegro The president of the Social-Democratic Party (SDP), Ranko Krivokapic, won re-election on Wednesday (May 6th) as parliament speaker after the nomination of Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic for a sixth term late last week. The ruling coalition backed Krivokapic’s nomination, while the opposition voted against it. After the vote, …
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