Mon 12 Jul 2010
Tens of thousands of people attended a memorial ceremony yesterday (11 July) marking the 15th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, when Bosnian Serb paramilitaries executed more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys toward the end of the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The massacre, deemed genocide by the UN war crimes court and the International Court of Justice, was the worst atrocity in Europe since World War II. The ceremony at the Potocari cemetery near Srebrenica included the burial of 775 recently identified victims, who will join the 3,749 already there.
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Thu 8 Jul 2010
Yesterday the Turkish Constitutional Court annulled parts of parts of a government-sponsored package of constitutional reforms aimed at curbing the powers of the judiciary that critics say will tighten the government's hold on power. The AKP government criticised the court for exceeding its authority with the verdict, but nevertheless said the amendments were still a major reform despite the changes and would go to a referendum on 12 September as planned.
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Wed 7 Jul 2010
Several diplomats claim that EU member states would be prepared to discuss a special solution for Kosovo’s northern part in order to broker a final compromise between Belgrade and Pristina. The talks would have to take place after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issues its advisory opinion on the legality of Kosovo's independence. Meanwhile tensions have been raised in Mitrovica as on 2 July an explosion killed one man and injured 11 others during a Serb protest and on 5 July Kosovo Serb parliamentarian Petar Miletic was shot and wounded outside his home.
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Tue 6 Jul 2010
Yesterday (5 July) tensions between Turkey and Israel escalated, after Ankara warned it would cut ties with Israel unless it apologises for a deadly attack on a humanitarian flotilla on its way to Gaza or accepts an international inquiry into the incident. "Israel has three paths ahead: It either apologises or accepts the findings from an international commission investigating the raid, or Turkey will cut off ties," stated Turkey's FM Ahmet Davutoğlu.
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Mon 5 Jul 2010
In recent months tensions have been growing between UN peacekeepers and residents of southern Lebanon, a stronghold of the militant Hezbollah group. In the latest of several recent incidents. on 3 July villagers threw stones at a French peacekeeping patrol and tried to seize their weapons. The patrol leader was slightly injured. Lebanese troops later restored calm.
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Thu 1 Jul 2010
The EU should not narrow the scope of its foreign policy cooperation with Turkey and Ukraine at a time when those countries have shown a will to conduct foreign policies that are not necessarily in line with those of the EU, Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Commissioner, Štefan Füle, said in an interview. The new Ukrainian administration led by President Viktor Yanukovich has informed Brussels that there will be "no more automatism" for Ukraine to align with EU positions, Füle revealed.
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Wed 30 Jun 2010
This week on 29 June the leader of the Other Russia coalition, Eduard Limonov, announced he is forming a new party of the same name to run in the 2011 parliamentary elections.
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Mon 28 Jun 2010
Yesterday evening (27 June) Macedonia’s main opposition party, the Social Democrats, along with thousands of supporters, began its battle for early general elections at a rally in front of the government building in the capital of Skopje. The social democrats called for the parliament to be dissolved directly following the NATO summit scheduled for November. Elections before that date could harm the country’s chances to join the alliance and make progress in its EU integration bid if there is a breakthrough in the name talks with Greece, party representatives said. "Regardless of the outcome of the NATO Summit, whether the negotiations with Greece are successful or not, our goal in November will be for the Assembly to disband so that we can get out and meet the citizens [at elections]," the head of the Social Democrats, Branko Crvenkovski, said at the rally.
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Mon 28 Jun 2010
On 27 June the Kyrgyz people voted for their political future in a referendum. Over 90% of the participants voted in favour of the proposed constitution in which power will shift from the president to the parliament. By accepting this constitutional change Kyrgyzstan will become the first parliamentary democracy in Central Asia.
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Thu 24 Jun 2010
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Today (24 June) Gazprom said Belarus has paid 187 million USD to Russia, thereby settling its gas debt. Consequently, Russia said it is fully resuming gas supplies to Belarus. This was announced by Gazprom head, Alexei Miller.
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Wed 23 Jun 2010
Last week EU-Georgia relations were marked by a historic phase. On 17 June the Union and the South Caucasian country signed an agreement to facilitate the issuing of visas which, from now on will be cheaper and easier for people from Georgia who wish to travel to EU territory, particularly for business or studies.
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Thu 17 Jun 2010
This week international organisations have criticised controversial Armenian legislation, which media freedom organisations say will allow the government to retain its control over Armenia's broadcast media.
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Tue 15 Jun 2010
The decision of the EU Foreign Ministers to start the ratification process of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with Serbia is a “big step and important moment for the country”, Deputy Prime Minister Božidar Đelić said. The 27 EU Foreign Ministers took the decision on 14 June after the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Serge Brammertz, delivered his biannual report on Belgrade’s cooperation with the ICTY, saying: “Serbia has maintained its cooperation with the Tribunal, with a view to deliver positive results.” SAA must be ratified by all 27 EU member states in order to come into force, and represents the next major step in Serbia's path toward the EU.
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Mon 14 Jun 2010
Ethnic unrest continues in Kyrgyzstan's southern cities of Osh and Jalal-Abad between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbek groups. The Kyrgyz Health Ministry has reported that at least 113 people have been killed – 92 in Osh and 21 in Jalal-Abad – and more than 1,400 injured in the past three days of violence. Tens of thousands of members of the Uzbek minority are reported to have fled their homes to escape attacks by Kyrgyz gangs, who have been accused of slaughters and setting fire to Uzbek-operated properties.
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Wed 9 Jun 2010
On Tuesday 30 March the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS) and the European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity organised a fringe meeting: “EU enlargement state of play” in Sarajevo in the framework of the PES Balkan Conference. The meeting was an interesting start to the discussions at the PES Balkan Conference. Approximately 40 participants — representatives of social democratic political parties and foundations from southeast Europe and the EU, non governmental organisations, EU institutions, international organisations and experts on the issue — actively participated in the discussion and had the opportunity to listen to interesting speakers.
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