June, 2009

• 9 June

  Franco Frattini: EU and Nato integration successful in Bulgaria

  Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini met Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ivailo Kalfin in Sofia on June 8. During the meeting, Frattini assured his hosts that Bulgaria is still viewed as an excellent place for investment despite the global economic crunch.

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• 9 June

  New US ambassador to Bulgaria expected

  The US will have a new ambassador to Bulgaria after current ambassador Nancy McEldowney was asked by the Obama Administration to return to Washington and assume the position of principal deputy assistant secretary of state in the bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, a US embassy statement said on June …

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• 9 June

  507 UN Personnel to Remain in Kosovo

  The United Nations Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, will be keeping 507 personnel in the country, the world body’s spokesman in Kosovo announced on Monday. “UNMIK has been undergoing a reconfiguration process since last year, and the new budget, which is being debated by the General Assembly, calls for the presence …

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• 9 June

  NATO to Reduce Kosovo Troops to 10,000

  NATO is expected to cut its troop numbers in Kosovo by one third because of the improved security situation, US sources have said. “NATO is working towards the next phase of its operations to a deterrence presence,” the US official told journalists in Brussels. NATO’s Kosovo Force, or KFOR, entered …

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• 9 June

  More Kosovo Serbs Wish to Return Home

  Serbia’s Deputy Minister for Kosovo, Bojan Andjelkovic, announced yesterday that 450 Kosovo Serb families have expressed their desire to return to their homes in Kosovo. “By Friday, there were 450 families registered [to return to their homes in Kosovo]. Since the campaign will continue until the end of June, I …

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• 9 June

  Italy, Romania Back Serbia EU Bid

  Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini and Romanian Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu told Serbian officials in Belgrade yesterday that they supported Serbia’s European integration and visa liberalisation for Serbian citizens traveling to the EU. The Italian and Romanian foreign ministers issued a joint statement recommending that the interim agreement between Serbia …

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• 9 June

  UNMIK Prepares for Two More Years in Kosovo

  UNMIK is making preparations for at least two more years in Kosovo, despite calls from the Kosovo Government to end its presence in the country. The timeframe emerged in a tender from the United Nations Mission in Kosovo, which is ordering in two years of fuel, with the option to …

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• 9 June

  Sarkozy: France Will Help Kosovo Join EU

  France will help Kosovo on its path to European Union membership, according to statements issued by President Sarkozy’s entourage. Unnamed sources at the Elysée Palace, the French president’s Parisian residence, revealed that Nicolas Sarkozy had told Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, in Paris on an official visit, that the country’s …

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• 9 June

  Albania Heads NATO Naval War Games

  Albania is heading a series of NATO led naval exercises in the Adriatic Sea, a first for the newly promoted member of the alliance. The war games which include thousands of marines and officers from Albania, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, Italy and Montenegro, aim to strengthen cooperation between naval forces in …

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• 7 June

  Ukraine To Pay For Russian Gas, Wants Apology

  Ukraine has settled its bill for Russian gas supplies in May ahead of a deadline, state energy company Naftogaz said on Friday, after Russia cast doubts on its ability to pay. Ukraine needed to pay $657 million by Sunday for 2.4 billion cubic metres of gas, including $500 million for …

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