March 24, 2009 Eurasia News
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called the plan `unprofessional` and threatened to review ties if the EU continued to ignore Russian concerns. Europe on Monday welcomed a Ukrainian “master plan” to modernise the infrastructure carrying Russian gas to the west but Moscow warned that European Union energy security was at risk …
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March 24, 2009 Eurasia News, Turkey
Police across Turkey have arrested dozens of suspects in the Ergenekon probe over the past year. A Turkish colonel was arrested on Monday in connection with an investigation into alleged extrajudicial killings a decade ago in the mainly Kurdish southeast, Turkish media said. Authorities this month began excavating suspected mass …
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March 24, 2009 Albania, Balkan News, Eurasia News
`This has been a decision by the whole government,` Carme Chacon told a news conference. Spain’s defence minister on Monday denied reports of a split within the Socialist government over a decision to pull troops out of Kosovo which has dampened hopes of better ties with the United States. “This …
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March 24, 2009 Balkan News, Croatia, Eurasia News
Excessive loud diplomacy, expressions that harm good relations, all this is harmful for Croatia’s cooperation with Slovenia. Relations between Croatia and Slovenia are not good and a lot more needs to be done to mend them. Slovenian President Danilo Tuerk said in an interview published by Slovenia’s news agency STA. …
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March 24, 2009 Balkan News, Eurasia News, Macedonia
The peaceful conduct of both the presidential and parallel local elections contrasted with the violence of last year`s parliamentary poll. Politics professor Gjorge Ivanov took a clear lead over his rivals on Monday in the first round of Macedonia’s election hailed by the European Union for its lack of violence. …
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March 24, 2009 Balkan News, Eurasia News
The second election round, in which the candidate with most votes becomes the president, is scheduled for April 4. Slovakia’s President Ivan Gasparovic won the first round of a presidential election, results showed on Sunday, and he faces the strongest opposition candidate in a runoff vote in two weeks. Saturday’s …
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March 24, 2009 Albania, Balkan News, Eurasia News
TIRANA, Albania — Doris Pack, head of the European Parliament’s committee for southeast Europe, said on Friday (March 20th) that Albania was not ready for EU accession. “Albania has a long way to go before joining the EU, and it has to continue working to fulfil the EU conditions in …
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March 24, 2009 Albania, Balkan News, Eurasia News
PRISTINA, Kosovo – KFOR troops have not received official information when the Spanish military contingent will leave Kosovo, KFOR spokesman Adriano Graziani said on Saturday (March 21st). Last week, Spanish Defence Minister Carmen Chacon announced Spain would withdraw its troops, though she did not set a firm date. Spain has …
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March 24, 2009 Balkan News, Bosnia Hertegovina, Croatia
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) – The Mostar-based NGO Croatia Libertas announced on Sunday (March 22nd) that it has filed suit against several Bosnian Muslim politicians and military leaders it accuses of war crimes. Croatia Libertas filed the lawsuits with the BiH prosecutor as well as with the Mostar cantonal …
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March 24, 2009 Eurasia News, Turkey
ANKARA, Turkey – Police arrested Kamil Atak, former mayor of the south-eastern town of Cizre, as part of a probe into the alleged killings of Kurds by Turkish security forces in the 1990s, media reported on Sunday (March 22nd). Police nabbed him in a raid late Saturday in the province …
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