Greek socialist leader George Papandreou was sworn in as prime minister on Tuesday and was expected to announce within hours a leaner cabinet focused on taking Greece out of an economic crisis. With his hand on the Bible, the PASOK leader was sworn in by Greece’s archbishop Ieronymos in a …

The chief of the EU mission in Kosovo, EULEX, Peter Feith said that the EU planned to strengthen its presence in Northern Kosovo, Serbian B92 radio reports. He noted that the number of EULEX officials would be increased and a commission would be set up to better notify the citizens …

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet in Kiev on Tuesday with Ukrainian acting Foreign Minister Volodymyr Khandohiy to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries. According to a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Lavrov and Khandohiy will have a 30-minute one-to-one meeting and will be then joined by the delegations …

Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc said on Tuesday that he is ready to resign if parliament does not approve an IMF-required pension law in an upcoming confidence vote. “I’m putting my position on the line. Either the law is enacted, or the government steps down,” Boc, who heads the Liberal …

The Presevo Valley should be a separate region inside Serbia, since existing administrative divisions do not protect minority rights, the president of Bujanovac municipality, Shaip Kamberi, tells daily Politika. “Even though the Serbian government disagrees, we consider that a region, which would recognise language, religious and other diversity, would be …

The International Steering Group for Kosovo, ISG, has praised the work done by the Kosovo government but says much more needs to be done. The ninth meeting of the group was chaired by the EU representative for Kosovo, Pieter Feith, who commended the authorities for their efforts to demarcate the …

Albania’s Prime Minister Sali Berisha arrived in Pristina today for a two-day visit, his first since Kosovo’s declaration of independence. Berisha will meet Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, President Fatmir Sejdiu, Assembly Speaker Jakup Krasniqi and other political party heads, as well as leading business figures.

Their countries’ strong bilateral ties will be further enhanced by the upcoming visit to Belgrade of Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, the Serbian and Russian foreign ministers say. Serbia’s Vuk Jeremic and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov agreed in Moscow that mutual relations have never been better.

Critics say there is indeed something fishy going on in the Adriatic, as a sudden and unexpected deal between Croatia and Slovenia hopes to solve an ongoing territorial dispute and unblock Croatia’s EU accession talks. The positive atmosphere is not likely to last, Anes Alic writes for ISN Security Watch. …

Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić is in Moscow making final preparations for Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s Belgrade visit. Jeremić, who is on a working visit, will be meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and officials of Medvedev’s administration. Before heading for Moscow, Jeremić said that Belgrade officials expect that Medvedev’s …