Balkan News

A delegation headed by Greek Minister for Protection of Citizens Michalis Chrysohoidis is to arrive on an official visit to Bulgaria on Wednesday, the Bulgarian press center of the Interior Ministry announced. After a meeting with Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov the Greek and Bulgarian delegations will hold bilateral talks. …

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov is to meet U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs David Johnson on Tuesday. They will discuss the cooperation in judiciary reform as a prerequisite for effective fight with the organized crime. A press conference is due after the meeting.

Defense ministers of NATO member states hold a meeting at the end of the week, where they will discuss the troops reduction in Kosovo. They will discuss on KFOR operations as the first step has already been made, NATO Secretary General Andres Faugh Rasmussen said. Towards the end of January, …

Croatian Defence Minister Branko Vukelic and his Serbian counterpart Dragan Sutanovac have signed a “historic agreement” on military cooperation. Currently on a two-day visit to Zagreb, Sutanovac met with Croatian President Ivo Josipovic on Monday, and the two agreed that there was no alternative to cooperation between the two countries …

The UN war crimes tribunal will deliver its verdict Thursday (June 10th) against seven Bosnian Serb officers suspected of genocide or crimes against humanity in Srebrenica in 1995. Vujadin Popovic, Ljubisa Beara, Drago Nikolic, Ljubomir Borovcanin and Vinko Pandurevic are charged with genocide, while Radivoje Miletic and Milan Gvero stand …

Membership to NATO means more defence spending, local media reported on Monday (June 7th). To meet the criteria to join the Alliance, the government had to double defence spending, from about 9m euros in 2005 to about 19m euros in 2009. The money reportedly was used to modernise the military …

Spanish Ambassador to Serbia Inigo de Palacio Espana says that he believes that Serbia will continue the EU integration process with no Kosovo status as precondition. “Many top-ranking European officials said that this issue will not be set as prerequisite to Serbia’s

According to the preliminary results of the referendum, the border arbitrage agreement with Croatia was accepted by a majority of Slovenians who voted. The incomplete results show that the turnout was at 42.27 percent, while the agreement was supported by 51.48 percent.

If a solution to the Athens-Skopje name spat is not found soon, Macedonia’s EU and NATO integration could be delayed for a longer period, Macedonian opposition leader Branko Crvenkovski said in an interview on Sunday.

Ukraine’s President Victor Yanukovych said Friday at the press conference, marking his 100 days at the presidential office, that he refuses to recognize independence of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Kosovo.