Balkans

The current situation in the Balkans reveals a worrying trend of political and security developments that may lead to renewed round of brinkmanship, even of conflict, between different countries and ethnic groups. Although, for the time being, the Balkan issues have not attracted the eye of the global media, it …

UNMIK Chief Lamberto Zannier called for pragmatism at Thursday’s UN Security Council meeting on Kosovo. Zannier, who presented the UN secretary general’s report at the meeting, stated that greater participation by Serbs and other minorities in the local institutions could be useful and that it would increase the chances of …

A Kosovo Serb delegation will today hand President Boris Tadić a petition signed by 48,000 Serbs calling on EULEX to leave Kosovo. The deputy speaker of the Kosovo Serb assembly, Marko Jakšić, told B92 that EULEX did not belong in Kosovo because it was not neutral when it came to …

Kosovo’s foreign policy chief Skender Hyseni told the UN Security Council yesterday that the security situation in Kosovo was “stable and peaceful.” He also accused Belgrade of obstructing the integration of Serbs.

Bosnia-Herzegovina has been elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the period 2010-2011, says UN General Assembly President Ali Treki. Brazil, Gabon, Liberia and Nigeria have also become non-permanent members.

The leaders of seven parliamentary parties from the Republic of Srpska will be meeting with Serbian President Boris Tadić in Belgrade on Friday. The RS politicians were invited to Belgrade ahead of the next meeting in Butmir between Bosnian politicians and American and EU officials. 

Macedonian prime minister hopes that Macedonian would receive a date for start of negotiations for membership in the European Union, now that the European Commission issued a recommendation for launch of the accession talks. In the letter sent to the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, PM Nikola …

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov became a bearer of the Cavalier of the Grand Cross for having achieved “great contributions to the Italian Republic”, a Bulgarian Government media statement said on October 15 2009. The award was given by Borissov’s Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi at a commemoration ceremony in honour …

The settlement of the Athens-Skopje name row is not an official precondition for Macedonia’s EU accession talks but will create a better climate for the same, ambassadors say. This according to the Swedish and EU ambassadors to Macedonia, Lars Freden and Erwan Fouere. Sweden currently holds the EU presidency.

A  renegade former Macdedonian Orthodox Church, MPC, bishop, Jovan Vraniskovski, has been sentenced to two and a half years in jail for embezzlement by a Macedonian court. A court in the town of Veles found Vraniskowski guilty of embezzling 320,000 euros while in charge of three Macedonian dioceses. He was …