TURKEY Former Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Özkök ruled out any negotiations with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in an interview with daily Milliyet published on Monday. “There cannot be any negotiation with the terror organization. I agree on that. You cannot talk with a person who took …

The European Union must exert its pressure on Turkey, in the light of its EU accession course and its European aspirations, to change Ankara’s stance and cooperate toward reaching a settlement, the Greek Cypriot president said. “Turkey should get rid of its expansionist policy and must give [Turkish Cypriot President …

TURKEY The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) plans to make major progress in the completion of the main aspects of the Kurdish initiative before the European Union — which Turkey aspires to join — releases a progress report on Turkey’s membership efforts in autumn. The ruling party wants …

GEORGIA “Even though Georgia officially withdraws CIS membership tomorrow, under 1969 Vienna Convention, it remains party to about 75 international agreements signed within CIS format,” Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister David Djalagania told today a traditional briefing. “In August last year, a CIS sovereign country declared war to another sovereign state …

SOFIA, Bulgaria More than 60% of the documents on Bulgarian extraction shown during the procedure on getting Bulgarian citizenship are unauthentic. The work of the Bulgarian Citizenship Directorate with the Ministry of Justice and the Interdepartmental Council for Bulgarian Citizenship has been highly embarrassed due to the fact that more …

SOFIA, Bulgaria There are about 60 000 applications for Bulgarian citizenship in the Bulgarian Citizenship Directorate with the Ministry of Justice. Applications from 2006 would also be considered. This is what was noted in ministry’s analysis. Strict observation of the Bulgarian Citizenship Act and procedures on it has been at …

SOFIA, Bulgaria Employees in the Ministry of Interior who do their job could develop in their career, said Prime Minister (PM) Boyko Borisov during news conference in the Ministry of Interior. According to the PM the new government would not allow purges. Working groups between the Ministry of Interior- State …

RUSSIA 8 people have been killed and many remain unaccounted for following a deadly explosion at Russia’s largest power plant.  At least 68 people are still missing after water flooded the turbine hall at the Sayano-Shushenskaya dam in the Siberian region of khakassia. Production at the plant has been halted …

INGUSHETIA A suicide bomber has inflicted the deadliest attack on the Russian republic of Ingushetia in five years.  At least 20 people were killed when a truck packed with explosives rammed into the gates of the police headquarters in the city of Nazran. 

SKOPJE, Macedonia Macedonia will respond to the latest proposals for solving the Athens-Skopje name row this week, the country’s negotiator to the UN-mediated talks, Zoran Jolevski, told local media. Jolevski, who is in Skopje for consultations with the state leadership, said on Sunday that he already spoken to President Georgi …