Sarajevo

Carl Bildt accuses RS president Dodik: "He is playing with fire"

Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt believes that the Serb Republic (RS) President Milorad Dodik is "truly playing with fire", saying that his statements about Bosnia-Herzegovina potential break-us are trully "upsetting".

The president of Bosnia's Council of Ministers, Denis Zvizdic, and the Serbian Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vucic, announced a joint session of governments to be held by the end of this year, to coordinate economic activities and jointly attract investors.

Serbia's Prime Minister says he intends to visit Albania to improve regional relations, frayed by the recent violence in Kumanovo, Macedonia.

"For each of our countries it is important to invest in peace and stability in the region, so that what happened in Kumanovo does not happen again," Vucic said in Sarajevo, where he is participating in a business forum.

RS leader is "playing with fire"

BELGRADE -- Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt believes that the Serb Republic (RS) President Milorad Dodik is "truly playing with fire."

The former high representative of the international community in Bosnia-Herzegovina stated that he was upset to learn that Dodik advocates of the idea of the break-up of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Vucic confirms he'll travel to Tirana in late May

SARAJEVO -- Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said while visiting Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, on Wednesday that he would travel to Albania on May 27.

He said his trip will come "because it is important to improve relations in the region and invest in peace and stability."

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan urged Western Balkan countries on May 13 to establish common economic goals for peace, prosperity and stability in the region.

Speaking at the sixth Sarajevo Business Forum in the Bosnian capital, Babacan said the economy was an important instrument for strengthening political relations and reconciliation in the region.

After surveying Bosnia's fiscal, economic and social situation over the last two weeks, an IMF mission has expressed mild optimism about signs of recovery - while underlining the need for urgent reforms if Bosnia wants further financial support.

"First reforms, then the next tranche," the Banja Luka daily Nezavisne Novine reported on Wednesday.

A group of Bosnian authors, academics and activists wrote to Pope Francis ahead of his Sarajevo visit, asking him to condemn local clerics’ and politicians’ “glorification of convicted war criminals”.

Ministers from the main Bosnian Croat party, the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, skipped the session of the Federation entity government on Thursday in a continuing dispute with coalition partners over the appointment of managers in public firms.

The State Investigative and Protection Agency, SIPA, told Balkan Insight on Monday that it has received information from the Intelligence-Security Agency, OSA, about the possibility of new attacks by militants in the wake of last week's shooting.