The Bulgarian Government has canceled the idea to construct a border fence with Turkey, a border aimed to stop infiltration of animals infected with foot-and-mouth disease. The government said it cannot afford the construction of the 181-km border fence. The project would cost almost 14 million euro, and the Bulgarian …

Hashim Thaci called for calm after the murder of five Macedonian men in Skopje last week. Rumours that the men were killed by Albanians raised the tension, but the police say there is no evidence to support the claims. Thaci added that both Albanians and Macedonians need to keep the country …

Bosnian FM Zlatko Lagumdzija said on Monday that he hopes Bosnia would join NATO by 2014, marking a hundred years since World War I started in Sarajevo. The ruling party in the Republika Srpska reacted on Tuesday saying that the FM was spreading his own personal views rather than the …

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman started a visit to Cyprus for 3 days. He will discuss on Monday energy issues with authorities on the Greek side. The Israeli minister will meet Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Hristofias, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism Neoklis Sylikiotis and Greek Cypriot political party leaders.

Serbia will not hold local elections in Kosovo, the country’s Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanovic announced. The UNMIK refused to organize local elections in Kosovo. The Serbs in Kosovo will vote for president and MPs. “We received a negative response from UNMIK and we do not want to violate Resolution …

Belgrade chief negotiator with Pristina, Borislav Stefanovic, said that Belgrade is ready to continue the Kosovo dialogue sponsored by EU. He also expressed hope that Serbia will get the date for the start of talks with the EU by the end of 2012. “It will be difficult, but we are …

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said the military equipment of peacekeeping units from Transdnestr will be upgraded. Russia has a motorized infantry battalion in the region as part of the Collective Peacekeeping Forces (CPF). Several Soviet-era ammunition depots are also protected by troops. “Russian peacekeepers in Transdnestr will receive …

Azerbaijani Deputy Transport Minister Musa Panahov announced on Monday that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway will be functional in 2013. The project is intended to connect the railway systems of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey.

Cyprus must avoid any provocations that could risk the region’s stability amid the intention to conduct energy exploration, Washington announced before of the U.N. secretary-general’s decision on the future of Cypriot reunification talks.

Bulgaria’s Vice President Margarita Popova visited the town of Bosilegrad in Serbia, which is populated by ethnic Bulgarians. She said on Sunday (Bulgarian Orthodox Easter Day) at the Bulgarian Cultural and Information Center in Bosilegrad: “Serbia will become a member of the EU but there is no way this could …