The first of the four S-300 surface-to-air missile systems that Russia has contracted to supply to Belarus arrived in Minsk on April 21, Belapan reported, quoting Belarusian Defense Minister Leanid Maltsau. Maltsau added that the remaining three system will be delivered until the end of this year.
Read More »NATO DELEGATION VISITS KAZAKHSTAN
Robert Simmons, special representative of NATO Secretary-General Jaap De Hoop Scheffer for the South Caucasus and Central Asia, said in the course of a NATO delegation’s visit to Kazakhstan on April 22 that it is “important for us that Kazakhstan has advanced and signed the Individual Partnership Action Plan with …
Read More »RUSSIAN MINISTER WARNS NATO
Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov told the Minsk-based daily “Sovetskaya Belorussiya” of April 20 that “in the event of a clear violation of the balance of forces near our borders [by NATO], we reserve the lawful right to take all necessary measures to ensure the [soundness] of our national security,” Interfax …
Read More »Global Violence Has Decreased, U.N. Says
UNITED NATIONS (AP) – Armed conflicts have declined by 40 percent since the end of the Cold War primarily because the United Nations was finally able to launch peacekeeping and conflict-prevention operations around the world, according to a new study.
Read More »A new era dawns for Turkey and Europe
Both the EU and Turkey woke up in a new era on the morning of 4 October. Following a marathon eleventh-hour negotiating session, the final hurdles for the launch of accession talks were cleared. As a result, Turkey now finds itself on what is likely a long, bumpy road towards …
Read More »Five years after democratic changes, Serbs still struggle economically
This month marked the 5th anniversary of the revolution that overthrew Slobodan Milosevic, ushering in a new period of democratisation and sweeping economic change. Today the average citizen is far less interested in politics, and far more in the economy and daily survival. According to analysts, Serbia registered significant economic …
Read More »Peace Implementation Council board welcomes three key agreements in BiH
Meeting for the last time prior to the 10th anniversary of the Dayton Accords, the political directors of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) Steering Board have hailed recent progress in three crucial areas — defence, the police and public broadcasting.
Read More »New Romanian Anti-corruption Chief Openly Criticises his Institution
Daniel Morar, the young prosecutor who was appointed chief of the National Prosecutor’s Office (PNA) in August, is not satisfied with the way the most important anti-corruption organisation in Romania is doing its job. “We found numerous files treating small corruption cases, which are suffocating our specialists. Meanwhile, the 40 …
Read More »Five Years After Democratic Revolution, Serbia’s EU Prospects Brighten
EU foreign ministers concluded at their Luxembourg summit that Serbia has significantly moved forward with democratic reforms. On Monday (3 October), they gave the green light for Serbia-Montenegro (SCG) to start Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) talks. The achievement of this milestone comes at a symbolically important juncture — the …
Read More »European Parliament President Calls for New Effort to Reunify Cyprus
European Parliament President Josep Borrell called on Wednesday (5 October) for a new effort to end the 31-year division of Cyprus. “I think we have to use the momentum created by the opening of negotiations with Turkey in order to (launch) a new initiative on a Cyprus settlement,” Borrell said …
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