Balkans

Nine foreign and four domestic telecom companies have expressed interest in becoming Macedonia’s third mobile operator. The tender was announced late last month, and bids will be accepted through January 12th. By July 2007, the company is expected to be up and running.

Pope Benedict XVI, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I meet in Istanbul 30/11/2006 ISTANBUL, Turkey — The process of dialogue between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches was the focus of a closed-door meeting between Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and visiting Pope Benedict XVI in Istanbul on Wednesday (November 29th). They also …

The Greek and Russian foreign ministers voiced hope Wednesday (November 22nd) that a long-delayed pipeline project designed to carry Russian oil to Greece via Bulgaria will be officially given the go-ahead by the end of this year.

The trial of Radovan Stankovic was held almost entirely behind closed doors. As it pronounced its verdict on November 14th, the trial panel cited the need to protect the witnesses’ identity and ensure that justice was served.

According to a UNDP report released late last month, Macedonia should increase home export capacities and lift barriers to foreign trade. It should also implement reform of the tax system, ensure a balanced budget in the mid-term, and reduce government involvement in the economy.

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- In a letter, the ambassador of Bosnia Herzegovina to Tehran expressed his regret and sorrow over publication of an insulting article in a Bosnian weekly.

Bulgarian interior minister visits Tripoli to discuss nurses on trial 23/11/2006 TRIPOLI, Libya — Bulgarian Interior Minister Rumen Petkov met with Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi in Tripoli on Wednesday (November 22nd). He also visited five Bulgarian nurses who have been detained for more than seven years for on charges widely …

Emphasising the importance of leaving behind historical disputes, Romania and Hungary vowed on Thursday (November 16th) to work together in the EU and to promote common and regional interests.

A Skopje court Tuesday (November 14th) sentenced 26 people found guilty of automobile smuggling and human trafficking. Their combined sentences totaled 108 years in prison. The group included Macedonian, Bulgarian, Albanian and Kosovo citizens. The organisers of the international trafficking channel, Dejan Stamkov and Jane Beldedovski, received the most severe …

The October 1st elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina provided an opportunity for several NGOs to promote greater activism among citizens. The most prominent of these was the Civic Organisation for Democracy (GROZD). Established by the Centre for Promotion of Civil Society, in co-operation with NGOs and citizens’