Chisinau – Active campaigning came to a halt in Moldova on Saturday, as the former Soviet republic prepared to elect a new parliament. The streets of the capital Chisinau were free of electioneering Saturday morning, as a nationwide last-day ban on election advertising went into effect. The poll-leading Communists ended …
Read More »Voting Saturday in Slovakia, Sunday in Moldova, Macedonia
Slovaks are voting Saturday in a presidential run-off election between the popular incumbent and a strong opposition challenger. President Ivan Gasparovic won nearly 47 percent of vote in the first round of elections last month. He now faces the top opposition candidate, sociologist and former social affairs minister Iveta Radicova, …
Read More »Slovene PM Has No Comment On Mesic`s Proposal
Slovenia will not change its view ad maintains that the outstanding border dispute has to be solved in order for Croatia`s European Union accession talks to be deblocked, said Slovene Prime Minister Borut Pahor on Thursday, commenting the situation as the meeting of Croatian Foreign Affairs Minister Gordan Jandrokovic, his …
Read More »Croatia Offering Slovenia Access To Open Sea
Croatian President Stjepan Mesic told the Austrian Ö1 Radio that Croatia has offered an agreement on accessing the open sea to Slovenia, which Ljubljana has been demanding from the start, Slovene Dnevnik reports. Mesic explained that he meant the option of Slovene ships passing through Croatian territorial waters to the …
Read More »EU Says Gas Supplies in S.E. Europe Under Control
Supplies of Russian natural gas to southeastern Europe are under control following a pipeline explosion this week, European Union gas experts said on Thursday. The blast on a 30-year-old pipeline in a separatist region of ex-Soviet Moldova caused a drop in deliveries on Wednesday. “After hearing reports of the countries …
Read More »Ukraine PM Vows Timely Payment for Russia Gas
`I am pleased to announce that from February 1, payment for gas has been proceeding in timely fashion,` Tymoshenko said to the press. Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko pledged on Thursday that Ukraine’s state energy company Naftogaz would make timely, full payment for gas shipments in March by Russian giant Gazprom. …
Read More »Turkey’s Erdogan mulls government changes
ANKARA, Turkey – Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Wednesday (April 1st) that he is mulling changes in the government after his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) suffered its worst election result in seven years. The AKP won 39% of the votes in Sunday’s local elections, falling well …
Read More »Greece paralysed by 24-hour strike
ATHENS, Greece – Greece is being paralysed by a 24-hour national strike Thursday (April 2nd) organised by the two largest trade unions in the country — the General Confederation of Workers of Greece and the Civil Servants Supreme Administrative Council.
Read More »Turkey hosts trilateral meeting with Afghanistan, Pakistan
ANKARA, Turkey – President Abdullah Gul hosted the third trilateral meeting among counterparts from Afghanistan and Pakistan on Wednesday (April 1st). Gul, Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai and Pakistan’s Asif Ali Zardari discussed ways to strengthen relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, joint economic projects, and the fight against terrorism in the context …
Read More »Kosovo Ombudsperson Institution accuses UNMIK over Roma camps
PRISTINA, Kosovo – The Ombudsperson Institution published a report Wednesday (April 1st) that blames UNMIK for rights violations the Roma have suffered in camps in northern Mitrovica since 1999. The report concludes that UNMIK has continuously violated international standards for human rights and it urges the government to intervene by …
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