BalkanNews

[Al Bundy]

The US appoints ambassadors, not as competent diplomats, but as "political favours".

I know that sounds bizarre, weird, crazy and corrupt.
It is.



Last Edit by Palmerston

I heard in 90`s that former UN Gen. Secretary B. Boutros-Ghali said that "It would be some time before I fully realized that the United States sees little need for diplomacy; power is enough. Only the weak rely on diplomacy. This is why the weak are so deeply concerned with the democratic principle of the sovereign equality of states, as a means of providing some small measure of equality for that which is not equal in fact. Coming from a developing country, I was trained extensively in international law and diplomacy and mistakenly assumed that the great powers, especially the United States, also trained their representatives in diplomacy and accepted the value of it. But the Roman Empire had no need for diplomacy. Nor does the United States. Diplomacy is perceived by an imperial power as a waste of time and prestige and a sign of weakness.

Unvanquished : A U.S. - U.N. Saga (1999), p. 198.



Last Edit by Gladstone

[EvadingGrid]

Amazing quote.



Last Edit by Gladstone

[Al Bundy]

North Macedonia’s Foreign Debt Rises to EUR8.33bn

Source: Beta



Last Edit by Gladstone

[Al Bundy]

Kurti does not give up "Greater Albania"

Albin Kurti, candidate for the Prime Minister of Vetëvendosje, reiterated his commitment to national unity of Albanians within the federation, not within the EU
Source: Tanjug Wednesday, October 9, 2019 | 08:59



Last Edit by Gladstone

[Al Bundy]

Serbian PM and LGBT activist Ana Brnabic join Vucic`s Serbian Progressive Party.


"Progressive" Serbia



Last Edit by Gladstone

[Al Bundy]

So-called Kosovo withdraws application to join Interpol 

The outgoing prime minister of the provisional institutions has sent a letter to the Interpol Assembly

The outgoing prime minister of the provisional Pristina institutions, Ramush Haradinaj, today sent a letter to the Interpol Assembly announcing that the application for the membership of so-called Kosovo in Interpol has been withdrawn.
Haradinaj noted that early elections were held on October 6, and that "taking into account this transitional process and the programmed appointment of the new government" he would "like to kindly request that our application be postponed until next year's General Assembly," Kosovo Online reported.



Last Edit by Larry

[Al Bundy]

EU blocks Albania and North Macedonia membership bids

18 October 2019

At the EU summit, French President Emmanuel Macron led a small number of countries in rejecting the Western Balkan countries from moving forward with their membership bids. He was joined by Denmark and the Netherlands in refusing Albania but France alone rejected North Macedonia. All EU states must agree before approval is given for membership talks to begin.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50100201



Last Edit by Gladstone

[Al Bundy]

Orthodox Bishop Maksim: Granting Order to Vucic Is Not Supported by Majority in Church, Division of Kosovo Is Treason

Source: Beta
News / Politics | 24.10.19

https://betabriefing.com/news/politics/8679-bishop-maksim-granting-order-to-vucic-is-not-supported-by-majority-in-church-division-of-kosovo-is-treason



Last Edit by Gladstone

[Al Bundy]

Swiss daily the Neue Zürcher Zeitung claims: The West loses in the Balkans

"EU no longer offers a credible prospect of enlargement to the Balkans. This reduces the influence of the West and strengthens the influence of other countries"

Source: Deutsche Welle Wednesday, October 30, 2019 | 12:10

„Just one week after the EU again cold-shouldered North Macedonia and Albania, the Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic traveled to Moscow to sign a free trade agreement with Russia's Eurasian Economic Union.“

The Neue Zürcher Zeitung mentions this fact at a start of an analysis on weakening influence of the EU on the Balkans, which, on the other hand, helps players such as Russia, China and Turkey to exert more influence in the region.

Author of this article, Volker Pabst, states that "there is no doubt that the EU and the West in the Balkans have lost considerable confidence and room for maneuver", thus enabling Russia, China and Turkey to expand their presence in the region, Deutsche Welle reports.

Swiss daily reminds that Russia is especially popular in the Slavic-Orthodox regions and presents itself there as "a watch dog of conservative values and counter-model to the decadent West". Turkey is particularly attached to the Muslims, but has significant soft power throughout the region. Turkish Airlines covers the region better than any other airline, while Turkish TV soap operas are extremely popular, despite all the historical animosities. China is, in turn, mainly present as an investor.

„The growing influence of these states poses real risks for the Balkans. Moscow is fighting in the region to diminish Western influence, especially that of NATO. Russia is very well prepared to exploit the historical fault lines and latent instabilities in the region. (…) Ankara exports to a certain extent its understanding of the rule of law and increasingly demands support in the persecution of opponents of the government. (…) Chinese-funded major projects, often associated with corruption, have the potential to undermine rule-of-law standards".

Still, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung believes that Moscow or Ankara will unlikely become new centers of gravity for the Balkan states. The Russian share of regional foreign trade is 6 percent, while that of the EU amounts to 73.5. Moreover, the exceptionally strong migration of the population continues to be directed to the west, cherishing western life styles. Even in traditionally Russia-friendly Serbia, 45 percent of the population is in favor of EU membership and only 17 percent in the Russian-dominated Eurasian Economic Union.

The Swiss daily points to the fact that Moscow, Ankara and Beijing do not pull in the same direction in the Balkans, as they have diverse interests there. „But even without serious competition from the East, the West is losing in the Balkans - and with it, those parts of the local population who want to modernize and democratize their states. In the future, it will be even more difficult to promote values ​​such as rule of law, democracy and a liberal market economy, thereby contributing poorly to the long-term stabilization of Europe's region most burdened with conflicts".



Last Edit by Gladstone

[Al Bundy]

M. Palmer in the name of USA threats with sanctions if Serbia buy Russian anti-aircraft rocket system S-400 

https://betabriefing.com/news/politics/8782-vucic-threat-of-sanctions-illustrates-treatment-of-serbia



Last Edit by Gladstone

[EvadingGrid]

M. Palmer in the name of USA threats with sanctions if Serbia buy Russian anti-aircraft rocket system S-400 

https://betabriefing.com/news/politics/8782-vucic-threat-of-sanctions-illustrates-treatment-of-serbia

Because once Serbia has S-400 they can tell Trump to fuck off....
The entire US doctrine is based upon air-superiority and its obliterated by the S-400.



Last Edit by Gladstone

[Al Bundy]

President of Serbia A. Vucic actually accused
Russian agent (GRU) for bribing a lieutenant colonel of the Serbian Army.

Vucic's press propaganda accuses her of "Russia pushing Serbia into NATO".

https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-probing-spy-episode-russian-envoy/30283010.html

[Al Bundy]

Media: Russians tried to persuade Vucic to make government with Djilas and Obradovic ??

Yevgeny Primakov, a Russian Duma deputy, offered President Aleksandar Vucic to form a technical government with Dragan Djilas and Bosko Obradovic, "Blic" learns

Source: B92, Blic Wednesday, December 4, 2019 | 10:39


Yevgeny Primakov Jr., in his capacity as a journalist, arranged an interview with the office of the President of the Republic of Serbia this spring, on behalf of Russia-24, a state-owned Russian-language news channel.

However, as Blic reports, in the course of the interview, Primakov changed the subject and offered President Vucic to form a technical government with Alliance for Serbia leaders Dragan Djilas and Bosko Obradovic.

According to the newspaper, Vucic interrupted him immediately, saying that the offer was indecent and that they had nothing more to talk about, and then he told his associates to escort the guest.

Since Vucic smoothly rejected his proposal, Primakov is now stepping up pressure and campaigning against Serbia on his television, ahead of the Serbian President's talks with Vladimir Putin in Sochi, "Blic" reports.

In a TV show that he hosts, Primakov has dealt with the issues such as espionage affairs in Serbia, arms export deals and the influence Russia exerts on Kosovo and Metohija.