UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Wednesday (June 2nd) appointed Lisa Buttenheim as his special representative and head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Cyprus. Buttenheim, of the United States, will replace Taye-Brook Zerihoun of Ethiopia, who was appointed in April to a UN post in New York.

NATO closed down its office in Tirana on Wednesday (June 2nd), a little more than a year after Albania joined the Alliance in April 2009. In his remarks, President Bamir Topi thanked all peacekeepers serving in missions around the world.

The EU-Western Balkans meeting in Sarajevo on Wednesday (June 2nd) reaffirmed that countries in the region have EU membership prospects, and afterwards, Kosovo Foreign Minister Skender Hyseni noted “All participants … asked for acceleration of the integration process.” He added that the meeting underscored a commitment to expand visa liberalisation …