Latest News from Albania
War crimes verdicts improve Kosovo-Serbia relations, experts say
War crimes verdicts improve Kosovo-Serbia relations, experts say
The Belgrade court decisions on war crimes committed in Kosovo will help improve the relationship between Albanians and Serbs, experts and citizens said.
Future verdicts by the Belgrade High Court War Crimes Chamber could help improve relations between Serbia and Kosovo. [AFP]
Arrests aid terrorism fight in Albania
Arrests aid terrorism fight in Albania
The arrests of five suspects bring a long-desired relief from a terror group's actions.
Albanian officers conduct an anti-terrorism exercise. Security experts have urged the country's law enforcement agencies to work jointly to prevent acts of terrorism. [AFP]
IMF to help Albania make reforms
IMF to help Albania make reforms
A loan from the IMF will help Albania undertake economic reforms. Also in business news: Turkey wants to increase its 20 percent stake in the Trans-Anatolia Gas Pipeline project to 30 percent by April.
The pension system in Albania will be reformed with the help of an IMF loan. [AFP]
Kosovo, Albania sign employment deal
Kosovo, Albania sign employment deal
The bilateral agreement establishes a common labour market between the two countries.
Erion Veliaj, Albania minister of youth and social welfare (left) and Nenad Rasic, Kosovo minister of labour and social welfare, sign a memorandum of co-operation in Tirana. [Albania Ministry of Youth and Social Welfare]
International Fair of Tourism to open on Thursday
BELGRADE - The International Fair of Tourism will be held in Belgrade from February 27 to March 2, bringing together over 1,000 exhibitors from 54 countries across the globe.
Albanians Fighting Abroad Face 10 Years' Jail
The amendment initiated by the ministry of justice follows reports that a growing number of Albanian citizens have joined radical Islamist groups fighting in the Syrian civil war.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” Arjan Dyrmishi, a security expert with the Albanian Institute of Democracy and Mediation told Balkan Insight.
Montenegro Bows to Gusinje’s Municipal Ambitions
Montenegro is to get a new 23rd municipality after parliament verified a government decision adopted last December to grant municipal status to Gusinje.
The small town in northern Montenegro, near Albania, which has only around 2,000 inhabitants but a large diaspora in the US, is mainly home to ethnic Bosniaks and Albanians.
PM attends EBRD conference in London
PM Ivica Dačić participated in a high-level regional forum organized in London on Monday by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
He presented Serbia's results in the creation of favorable business and investment environment, emphasizing that no project can be implemented without stability of the region.
Albania Govt ‘Failed to Uphold Pre-Poll Promises’
Out of the 17 electoral promises made by the centre-left government of Prime Minister Edi Rama that Mjaft evaluated as part of its Truthometer project, seven were realised, seven were not realised, one was judged to be unmeasurable and two others were only party fulfilled.
Rama’s government took office in September, promising to usher in a ‘renaissance’ for Albania.
More Macedonians Seek Asylum in Germany
The German Federal Service on Migration and Refugees said that 9,420 people from Macedonia lodged asylum applications in Germany in 2013, Deutsche Welle reported.
The figure represents a sharp increase from 2012, when almost 6,900 Macedonians sought asylum in Germany, and from 2011, when there were 1,750 applicants from the Balkan state.
Macedonia Launches Construction of Key Motorways
Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski announced over the weekend the start of work on the two new motorway segments financed by a loan of 574 million euro from the Chinese Export-Import Bank.
In Serbia every 5th individual jobless
In Serbia every 5th individual jobless
In the first month of 2014 even 42,771 jobless people have registered them with the National Employment Service. That is almost 2,000 people more than in December last year.
Serbia's first match in EC qualifications will be in Armenia
BELGRADE - Serbia will start the qualifications for the UEFA European Championship in France in 2016 with an away match against Armenia on October 11 this year, and three days later the team will face Albania at home.
Dacic to attend EBRD conference in London on Monday
BELGRADE - Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic will participate in the high-level regional conference of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) which will be held in London on Monday under the title 'Investing in the Western Balkans'.
Albanian Opposition Lambast 'Mafia' Government
Addressing the rally, the Democratic Party head, Lulzim Basha, said Thursday’s March, held on the 23rd anniversary of the overthrow of the commuist regime, was only the start of a broader protest campaign.