March, 2013

• 12 March

  OSCE Snubs Albanian Proposal to Lower Voting Age

  The OSCE head in Albania, Eugen Wolfarth, on Tuesday criticised a proposal by Prime Minister Sali Berisha to rush through an extension of voting rights to 16-year-olds ahead of the June 23 elections.“Ahead of this election there is no time [for such a change],” Wolfarth said. “Such thing cannot be …

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• 12 March

  Belgrade Denies Backing Bosnia Serb Opposition

  Serbia’s Vice-Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vucic, has dismissed reports that he wants opposition parties in the Serb-led entity to win the 2014 elections.Aleksandar Vucic, Vice-President of the Serbian government, has dismissed reports in the Sarajevo media that Belgrade plans to help the opposition in Republika Srpska win the next general election …

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• 12 March

  Macedonia Recalls Deportation of Jews to Camps

  With the message that ‘It can be forgiven, but not forgotten,’ Macedonia on Monday marked the 70th anniversary of the deportation of the Jewish community to Nazi death camps.Representatives of the Community of the Jews in Macedonia, the Holocaust Fund of Macedonian Jews, the President, the government and other organizations …

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• 12 March

  Serbia never closer to getting EU date

  Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkic said that the country “has never been closer to getting a date for the start of EU accession talks”. After talks with foreign officials Mrkic said that “no one explicitly said that an agreement on Serb municipalities in Kosovo is the key precondition for that”.

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• 12 March

  Serbian PM says no progress reached on Serb municipalities in Kosovo

  Serbian officials said in Brussels last night, “either give us the community of Serb municipalities or let’s not waste any more time”. The Serbian prime minister,  Ivica Dacic, spoke after returning from the meeting at the seat of the EU, held on Monday evening. “This is about everyone’s interest in …

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• 12 March

  Pavkovic and Sainovic appeal on Kosovo War Crimes

  Former Yugoslav Army commander Nebojsa Pavkovic and deputy prime minsiter Nikola Sainovic said at their Hague Tribunal appeal that they are not guilty of murder and persecution of Kosovo Albanians during the 1999 conflict. The two have been sentenced in 2009 to 22 years of jail each for deportation, murder …

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• 12 March

  Turkish Foreign Ministry to meet Syriac leaders

  The Turkish Foreign Ministry has invited four Syriac Metropolitans to a meeting that will take place in Ankara on March 18, amid growing interest in the community. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu is also expected to participate in the meeting, alongside Turabidin Metropolitan

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• 12 March

  Azerbaijani, Montenegrin presidents have expanded meeting

  Following their private talk, presidents Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Filip Vujanovic of Montenegro were joined by their countries` delegations for an expanded meeting. They praised development of friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Montenegro. The sides stressed the

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• 12 March

  Bulgaria names Marin Raykov as caretaker PM

  Bulgaria’s president named on Tuesday career diplomat and former deputy foreign minister Marin Raykov as caretaker prime minister until early elections on May 12, following the resignation of the government last month. “My choice for prime minister is that of the current ambassador to France, Marin Raykov. He will also …

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• 12 March

  Turkish EU minister ready to ‘reset’ to solve Cyprus issue

  Turkish Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis on Tuesday stated that Nicos Anastasiades, newly elected leader of Greek Cypriot administration, had voted ‘yes’ to Kofi Annan’s Cyprus plan referendum and courageously showed his support for the resolution of the Cyprus issue and said, “We hope his new …

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