Albania

TIRANA, Albania – Running democratic elections that comply with international standards will be the best way for Albania to divide its historic and political past from the future, President Bamir Topi said on Monday (March 30th).

Kosovo’s Foreign Minister returned to Pristina optimistic about Kosovo’s future as an independent state, after attending meetings in New York and Prague. Skender Hyseni represented Kosovo at the UN Security Council and the meeting of EU foreign diplomats in Prague, insisting that the Kosovo delegation be split from the United …

The Albanian government has decided to further lower the cost of ID cards for different groups of the population, Minister of Interior Affairs Bujar Nishani said on Sunday. “The price for pensioners will drop from 500 lek to 300 lek (from €4.20 to €2.50), while for students the price will …

The global financial crisis could lead to staff cuts in international missions operating in Kosovo and may mean more power devolving to local authorities. Kosovo’s authorities will exercise more power as international missions shrink in size under the impact of the global economical downturn, experts say. The latest example comes …

Kosovo Liberation Army Veterans have sent a letter to Serbian war veterans pledging for peace, good neighbour relations and urging all to refrain from nationalist rhetoric. “Your organisation foresees the preservation of “Ethnic Serbia” borders, while you know that 90 percent of the population in Kosovo are Albanians,” reads the …

TIRANA, Albania – The opposition Socialist Party (SP) accused the government on Wednesday (March 25th) of failing to respect the EU’s advice about applying for candidate status.

PRISTINA, Kosovo – Lithuania wants to withdraw its small military component from Kosovo, local media reported on Wednesday (March 25th). Vilnius cites the stable security situation in the country and the strain of the global economic crisis.

The EU will find practical and pragmatic ways to prevent Kosovo from becoming the ‘black hole’ of Europe, says EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn. Rehn welcomed the fact that “the Balkans is to be on the EU agenda, after the latter was filled with financial and economic problems”. Even though …

Kosovo’s Customs Service was regulated by the UN, until the end of 2008. Four hundred Russian policemen leave Kosovo after nine years of service under UNMIK. Russia has ended its “participation in the peaceful operation in Kosovo”, Russian UNMIK commander, Leonid Pogorelov, said today. 

Albania’s central bank warned the government on Wednesday against increasing budget expenditure, as this could put the macroeconomic stability of the country at risk. The central bank called for a tighter fiscal policy saying the government has no room to offer further fiscal stimulus. “This is the maximum that the …