Eurasia

Turkey wants talks aimed at reunifying Cyprus to conclude soon and a referendum by the end of 2009, President Abdullah Gul told a news conference with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat on Monday. The Mediterranean island of Cyprus has been divided along ethnic lines since 1974. The two sides …

MOSCOW Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday said his country would develop economic and defense cooperation with Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia. 

ANKARA Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev determined the signing of the Nabucco agreement in Ankara an important step forward, government’s press office reports.

Bulgarian Prime Minster-designate Boyko Borisov, the informal leader of the GERB party, which won the July 5 general elections, suspended over the weekend the powers of the outgoing finance minister, banning him from signing any further contracts or agreements. “I do not trust this person, [Finance Minister] Petar Dimitrov, and …

SKOPJE. Bulgaria’s future Prime Minister Boyko Borisov announced he backs the idea of terminating the negotiations over South Stream natural gas pipeline construction, which is a problem for project’s realization.

BELGRADE Ahead of EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana’s meetings with Serbia’s senior officials, guests on a B92 TV program debated the issues of Kosovo and visas. “He is surely coming to announce to us what will happen on Wednesday, July 15, and as Mr. [EC Vice President Jacques] Barrot …

BELGRADE EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana will arrive here on Monday for meetings with Serbia’s top officials. In Belgrade, he will talk to President Boris Tadić, PM Mirko Cvetković, his first deputy and Interior Minister Ivica Dačić and Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić.

PRIŠTINA Representatives of the Kosovo Albanian government in Priština will on July 17 send additional arguments to the International Court of Justice, reports said.The move, according to Albanian language daily Koha Ditore, will seek to “defend the legitimacy of the independence declaration”.The ethnic Albanians’ unilateral proclamation in February 2008 was …

LEPOSAVIĆ The government passed a decision to dissolve the local assembly in Leposavić, and instituted a temporary body for the municipality.It was announced in the Official Gazzette that the interim body will deal with all issues within the Leposavić municipal assembly’s authority until a new assembly is constituted after early …

BELGRADE President Boris Tadić will take part in the 15th Summit of heads of state and government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).The gathering will be held in Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh resort on July 15-16.