Photo: Croatian Embassy in Washington DC/FacebookWHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN THE BALKANS TODAY Big News From Washington: U.S. State Department official A. Wess Mitchell, the Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, has announced his resignation that will come into effect on February 15, 2019. He cited personal and professional reasons for […]
Photo: Government of Montenegro/RTCGWHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN THE BALKANS TODAY Prespa: Macedonia awaits the Greek Parliament‘s vote on the Prespa Agreement set to take place on Thursday. On Monday, Greek parliament’s Committee on Defense and Foreign Policy debated the topic. It is set to be debated in a plenary […]
Photo: The Moscow TimesWHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN THE BALKANS TODAY Putin & Pasha: Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Thursday. Putin decorated Vucic with the Order of Aleksandar Nevsky and Vucic gifted his Russian counterpart a Sarplaninac puppy named Pasha. Montenegrin opposition leaders were excited to […]
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN THE BALKANS TODAY WEEKEND READ: “Want to Cultivate a Liberal European Islam? Look to Bosnia.” by Riada Asimovic Akyol for The Atlantic:”When French President Emmanuel Macron said last summer that he would create a new “framework and rules” for Islamic institutions in France, he […]
Photo: JS OnlineWHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN THE BALKANS TODAY A flet Shqip? The bill on the Law on Languages has officially become law meaning Albanian is an official language of Macedonia. RFE/RL writes: “The legislation was published on January 15 after being signed by parliament speaker Talat Xhaferi, […]
Photo: The Srpska TimesWHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN THE BALKANS TODAY Moscow & Prespa: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia released a statement on the Macedonia’s Prespa Agreement: “It’s about the continuation of the process of the artificial changing of the country’s name under foreign pressure in order for Skopje […]
Photo: Office of the President of RussiaWHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN THE BALKANS TODAY PRESPA: Macedonian Parliament has approved the constitutional amendments to rename the state The Republic of North Macedonia which will come into effect if Greek Parliament approves the agreement. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras lost a coalition ally and could be […]
Photo: CIDEAWHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN THE BALKANS TODAY WEEKEND READ: Road to Nowhere meets local enthusiasm? Deep dive into the Bar – Boljare Highway that has indebted Montenegro to China to the tune of €809 million. Ethnic Albanians Disappearing from Montenegro?: New Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs […]
Photo: Time OutWHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN THE BALKANS TODAY Ambassadorless in Slovenia: The US Senate did not approve Ambassador nominee Lynda Blanchard by the end of 2018 and she will be “returned” to US President Donald Trump. President Trump will send a nomination for the ambassadorship in 2019. […]
“Earlier this month, about 40 people gathered at a Catholic-owned hotel in Kosovo’s second city to light the sixth candle of Hanukkah. The Friday night ceremony was jointly organized by Votem Demiri, the 72-year-old patriarch of Kosovo’s tiny Jewish community, with help from Dr. Irfan Daullxhiu, a Muslim […]