Balkans

The foreign affairs and defense ministries are wrapping up preparations for opening the Serbian mission at NATO HQ. According to the Belgrade newspaper, the government recently named Branislav Milinković as Serbia’s ambassador to the western military alliance, and he will most likely submit his credentials by the end of the …

Serbia Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić will visit Brussels on Thursday, where he will meet with EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn. He will also confer with members of the European Parliament Group for Western Balkans. According to a statement released by the Serbian Foreign Ministry, Jeremić will address the European Parliament …

Macedonian President Gjorgje Ivanov sent an invitation to his Greek counterpart Karopolos Papoulias to visit Macedonia. I’m certain that your visit will help us contribute to our mutual vision and we will definitely give additional impulse for strengthening good-neighborly relations”, said the invitation, which was sent by President Ivanov this …

Deputy Prime Minister of EU Integrations Vasko Naumovski is visiting Hungary. In the frameworks of his visit, Naumovski will meet Hungarian Foreign Minister Petar Balaz as well as State Secretary for European Affairs of the Republic of Hungary Gabor Ivan. Naumovski is scheduled to meet President of Parliamentary Commission for …

EU and U.S leaders supported Southeastern Europe as they advance on the path towards EU integration. At the summit held in Washington, they said they’ve welcomed progress made in reforms, including the completion of criteria for lifting visa regime for citizens of Western Balkans.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is to pay an official visit to Greece on November 4 and 5, the media report. He is to unveil the third global migration and development forum. He is scheduled to meet with Greek Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Georgios Papandreou and President Karolos Papoulias. …

Serbian Finance Minister Diana Dragutinovic announced that talks with the International Monetary Fund, IMF, for the country’s second and third tranches of the IMF loan agreed to earlier this year, have been completed successfully. Speaking at a press conference, Dragutinovic said that an agreement has been reached to extend the …

The leaders of Macedonia’s two governing parties met Tuesday afternoon to discuss the burning name dispute with Greece. Media speculate the meeting between Prime Minister and leader of the ruling VMRO-DPMNE party Nikola Gruevski and Ali Ahmeti, the head of the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, the junior partner in …

The European Commission’s progress report on Kosovo, released last month, shows a ‘deterioration’ in the country’s performance, according to a high ranking EC official in the country. Khaldoun Sinno, head of political, economic and European integration at the European Commission Liaison Office in Kosovo, made the comments at an event …

The Croatian and Slovenian governments have confirmed that their leaders will sign an arbitration agreement in Stockholm on Wednesday. Jadranka Kosor and her Slovenian counterpart Borut Pahor both made seperate statements confirming they will sign on Tuesday.