Serbia
Albania
Montenegro’s parliament passes crucial religion law, but who’s really in charge?
The Montenegrin parliament, in a repeat vote, passed on January 20 a crucial Law on Religious Freedoms which President Milo Djukanovic refused to sign...
Albania
Out in the cold: SE Europe in dire need of vaccine supplies
With the COVID-19 pandemic steadily worsening across much of Europe, the citizens of the continent’s Southeast European region have been left out of much...
Archive
Russia’s Gazprom begins gas supplies to Serbia, BiH via TurkStream
Russian gas monopoly Gazprom said on January 1 the company began supplying gas to Serbia, as well as to Bosnia and Herzegovina, via a...
Archive
Europe turns the tables on Russian gas
As we move into 2021, Southeast Europe’s concern about security and diversity of energy supply and over-reliance on Russia gas is now history, a...
Archive
Serbia and Montenegro in brief diplomatic kerfuffle
Montenegro accused Serbian Ambassador Vladimir Bozovic of "interfering in Montenegro's internal affairs" and ordered his expulsion on November 28 after he described a decision...
Archive
Kosovo’s President Thaci heading to The Hague
Kosovo’s President Hashim Thaci, former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), announced his resignation on November 5 upon confirming that a tribunal in...
Albania
Varhelyi refocuses on enlargement for Southeast Europe
EU Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi visited North Macedonia and Albania on October 6-7, meeting leaders in both countries as well as addressing parliaments....
Afghanistan
Final Trump UN General Assembly address hits multilateralism
In the final address to the UN General Assembly of his current term in office, US President Donald J Trump sent a short video...
Analysis
Trump Administration’s Kosovo announcement fails to impress
The Trump Administration’s second attempt to gather Kosovar and Serbian leaders at the White House succeeded on September 4 just as Washington and most...
Analysis
Kosovo: EU visa liberalisation issue resurfaces
Increased travel access to the EU for Kosovar citizens remains an interesting sidebar to the now-postponed Washington meeting between recently re-elected Serbian President Aleksandar...
Albania
Trump Administration’s controversial Kosovo gambit accelerates
While not unexpected, the Trump Administration has moved faster than many observers anticipated to restart its ongoing diplomatic initiative to resolve a significant piece...
Analysis
The ouster of Kosovo government exposes deep rifts among Albanian politicians
The parliamentary vote of no confidence on March 25 which caused the fall of the government of Kosovo after less than two months in...
Albania
In desperate times, EU approves new Balkan Enlargement steps
Moving on a trajectory that senior EU leaders publicly outlined at the Munich Security Conference in mid-February, the EU’s General Affairs Council (GAC) agreed...
Analysis
Kosovo action moves to Washington
With global attention increasingly focused on the Covid-19 pandemic, US diplomats amazingly found time in early March to continue pressing Kosovo and Serbia to...
Albania
Amidst crises, Greece finds time for renewed Balkan diplomacy
Despite the multiple crises Greece is currently facing – a continuing refugee deluge and massive public reaction on some islands, the spreading coronavirus threat,...
Archive
US envoy to Serbia-Kosovo talks to become Acting Director of National Intelligence
President Donald Trump has named Richard Grenell, the US Ambassador to Germany and concurrently Special Envoy to Serbia and Kosovo, to become the acting...
Analysis
Munich Bacchanalian surprises
At the Munich Security Conference 2020, two reality-altering messages were sent back to Southeastern Europe, which incidentally was not the core focus of this...
Albania
France scores victory on Enlargement rules
The EU Commission released new proposed rules on February 5 which substantially modify the current Enlargement process but also allow EU member states to...
Archive
US diplomatic engagement helps reopen Kosovo-Serbia flights
Representatives of Serbia, Kosovo, the US, and Lufthansa Group signed a milestone agreement on January 20 to establish an air link between Serbia and...
Montenegro
Serbia accused of threatening peace in Montenegro
120 officials, academics, and cultural figures in the Balkans have signed an online petition that warns of regional "threats to peace" from Belgrade.
The move...
Albania
Greece’s Balkan diplomacy currently a sideshow
While keeping up the appearances of an active diplomatic campaign in Southeast Europe, the net impact of Athens’ recent initiatives will yield next to...
Archive
Kosovo-Serbia relations again disrupted
Raids by Kosovo police on 28 May in a large anti-corruption operation triggered a serious deterioration of already-strained Kosovo-Serbia relations in the following days,...
Albania
Delphi Economic Forum: Intense focus on Southeastern Europe
DELPHI, Greece - Now in its fourth year, the 2019 Delphi Economic Forum (DEF) has grown into a true Davos-like venue, with groups from...
Archive
EU energy policy to boost security of supply in the Balkans
ATHENS – The European Union and member states need to work together to increase energy security, which is a goal that will be continued...
Analysis
UN face off over Kosovo army vote
The Kosovo Parliament’s December 14 vote to formally create a military structure triggered the almost-automatic UN Security Council (UNSC) face off December 17 in...
Archive
Kosovo votes to transform civil defence force into formal military structure
The Kosovo Parliament voted almost unanimously on December 14 to begin the process of upgrading the country’s existing NATO/KFOR-trained paramilitary force, the Kosovo Security...
Archive
Greek Defence Minister proposes new Balkan alliance and US base offers
Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos used a scheduled Washington visit and meetings on October 9 to drop two headline-grabbing proposals. He first proposed the creation...
Archive
Hamburg highlights wind energy role in fighting climate change
HAMBURG – Cross-boarder electricity interconnections are vital for Europe to achieve its climate and energy goals and integrate more renewables into energy markets but...
Archive
Limited progress reported on Name Dispute at Ohrid meeting
With only three months to go before a critical NATO summit in Bucharest that could potentially approve the admission of new members, the foreign...
Archive
US deepens engagement on Europe’s southern flank
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell continued his weeklong trip through Southeastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean visiting Belgrade...
Archive
Stiffening Europe’s southern flank: Washington moves to reassert itself in the Western Balkans
After a period of relative diplomatic quiescence, a senior policy-level official from the Trump Administration began a weeklong trip through Southeast Europe and the...
Archive
Turkish Stream eyes Balkan gas market, East Med hinges on prices
VOULIAGMENI, Athens – Gazprom is looking to supply the Balkans with Russian gas via Turkish Stream after 2019 when the contract with Ukraine expires,...
Archive
John Kerry finally visits Athens. What to Expect
After one postponement last month due to the Syria crisis, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry finally arrives for a short visit in Athens...
Archive
EU Fast-Tracks Tesla, Eastring Gas Lines
The European Commission on November 18 included the Tesla and Eastring gas pipelines in its updated Project of Common Interests (PCIs) list, which will...
Archive
Greece-Bulgaria pipe to break Gazprom monopoly
BRATISLAVA – Implementing an agreement to construct a gas interconnector between Bulgaria and Greece, which is likely to be signed in early July, is important for the energy...
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