Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias briefed Thursday NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg over the course of the name talks, ANA-MPA reports. According to diplomatic sources, Kotzias told Stoltenberg that Greece appreciates the fact that the Alliance has refrained from involvement in the talks. The Kotzias-Stoltenberg meeting took place at the NATO HQ in Brussels, while interlocutors failed to […]
Macedonia and Croatia have exceptionally friendly relations and no open issues. Croatia is a great champion of Macedonia’s EU and NATO integration, while open issues with other countries should not stand in the way but solved in parallel with the accession talks, agreed President Gjorge Ivanov and Croatian counterpart Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic after a […]
Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama has started an official visit yesterday in Germany in an attempt to convince the country to provide its support for the opening of negotiations with the European Union. This visit comes a week after the European Commission gave its recommendation for the launch of this process. PM Rama had […]
The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk has arrived today in Tirana. This visit comes as part of a Balkan tour. In a joint press conference, Albanian PM, Edi Rama expressed his gratitude for the positive recommendation to start accession talks. “I would like to thank the president of the EU Council for this […]
Prime minister Ana Brnabic said that she was “very sorry” because Defence minister Aleskandar Vulin was declared persona non grata in Croatia. Zagreb made the decision during the weekend, after Vulin, in a provocative statement of his said that he could visit Croatia only if the “commander-in-chief” orders him to do so. Allegedly, Vulin planned to visit a […]
“The name agreement should be complete and final, differentiating the neighboring country from Macedonia”, says New Democracy shadow foreign minister Giorgos Koumoutsakos. “The government is called to reach an agreement that is complete and final. One that differentiates, in a clear way, our northern neighbor from Macedonia. This is not feasible, Koumoutsakos told newspaper Real […]
Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin called off his visit to an annual Serb Orthodox memorial service for the victims of a World War Two extermination camp held in Croatia on Sunday after Croatia said he was not welcome, Reuters reported. The two ex-Yugoslav republics began trading barbs last week when a Croatian delegation cut short a trip […]
Serbian Defence Minister Aleksandar Vulin, who has announced his arrival in Jasenovac for Sunday, is not welcome in Croatia for the time being, the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs said in a press release late on Saturday. In the meantime, the ministry forwarded a note to the Serbian embassy in the capital of Zagreb, condemning Vulin’s statement that […]
Kosovo’s government has presented today the state platform for the final phase of dialogue with Serbia. Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj declared that this platform will be sent to parliament for approval. He said that the last phase of dialogue with Serbia will result in the recognition of the independence of Kosovo by Serbia. “This platform […]
During his visit in Skopje, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj has had a working lunch with the EU Enlargement Commissioner, Johannes Hahn and discussed with him about the regional economic cooperation and the integration of Western Balkans. Haradinaj is in Skopje to participate in the Digital Summit of Western Balkans which is being […]
The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that his country will hold snap elections on June 24, 2018. Moments after his meeting with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) chairman, Devlet Bahceli, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced snap presidential and parliamentary polls. “What we preferred was for the elections to be held in November 2019. Due […]
Albania has delivered the conditions imposed by the European Commission and it’s ready to launch the accession talks, by pushing the reforms agenda. This was the message that was conveyed from Tirana by the head of the EU diplomacy, Federica Mogherini in a joint press conference with PM Edi Rama. “It’s not only the aspiration […]
The European Commission progress reports are realistic and encouraging. Now, it is up to the countries in the region to pursue reforms with an increasing inclusion so as to completely fulfill all recommendations in the EU integration process. This is the joint conclusion of the premiers of Macedonia and Kosovo, Zoran Zaev and Ramush Haradinaj, […]
French President Emmanuel Macron says the European Union shouldn’t accept any new member countries until the 28-nation bloc is more deeply integrated and has undergone thorough reform. Macron has told EU lawmakers that he wants to anchor countries of the Western Balkans to the European project, but that now isn’t the time to allow any […]
The European Union needs to open up to accepting new members from the Western Balkans to avoid the risk of a new war in the region, the head of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker told the European Parliament on Tuesday, Reuters reports. “If we do not open up to countries in that highly complicated an […]
The new compound name once we reach an agreement should be also the constitutional name of the neighboring country, a spokesman of the Greek government told a press briefing on Monday after being asked by a MIA correspondent on whether Greece would accept a name that would be used only internationally, but not within the […]
Kosovo’s representation in the European Union Summit which will be held on 16 and 17 of May was one of the main topics of the meeting between Bulgarian PM, Boyko Borisov and President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci. At the end of the meeting, the Bulgarian PM told the President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci that the […]
Two days after the U.S.-led airstrikes on Syria, Jens Stoltenberg of NATO is in the Turkish capital, Ankara where he met with the Turkish Defence Minister Nurettin Canikli. Media in Turkey report that Stoltenberg was welcomed at the Ministry of Defence without giving more information on the meeting between the two men. NATO’s head will also meet […]
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Hakan Cavusoglu stated on Monday that Ankara’s stance on Assad is firm and has not been altered. “Speaking in Lefkosa, the capital city of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Hakan Cavusoglu welcomed the U.S.-led airstrikes on Assad regime”, Anadolu reads. “The reaction of the U.S. and the U.K. and […]
Montenegro’s ruling Democratic Party of Socialists declares leader Milo Djukanovic winner of presidential election. Djukanovic won Montenegro’s presidential elections with 53.8% of votes. This is the first election since Montenegro joined NATO last year. Sunday’s vote was seen as test for the long-time leader, who favors European integration over closer ties to Montenegro’s traditional ally, Moscow. The […]
