European Union

"EU perspective crucial for Kosovo dialogue"

SPLIT -- EU perspective has made a considerable contribution to promoting the regional cooperation and relations in the Western Balkans, says Ivica Dacic.

Global powers were due to gather with Iran March 30, seeking to slot into place the last pieces of a complex puzzle to curtail Tehran's nuclear programme as diplomats said tentative agreement on some parts had been reached.
      

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is briefing Parliament on Monday on developments concerning the negotiation with Greece's creditors. On Sunday, he asked Parliamentary Speaker Zoi Konstantopoulou to conduct a plenary session at a political leaders level at 8 a.m based on code 142A of the constitution.

Greece sounded an upbeat tone on Sunday over talks with its European and IMF creditors, which it said were continuing through the weekend as the cash-strapped country races to agree on reforms that will unlock more aid.

NOVI SAD - Jadranka Joksimovic, Serbian minister without portfolio in charge of the EU integration process, said on Sunday that legislative activity will be stepped up in further stages of Serbia's EU pathway, stressing that the first chapters in the accession negotiations should be opened this year.

Restaurant and hotel owners held a procession in the city of Burgas on Sunday, calling on the government to ease visa regulations for Russian tourists to help Bulgaria's tourism sector cope with a recent decline in the number of Russian visitors.

High-stakes negotiations to rein in Iran's suspect nuclear programme looked set to go down to the wire on March 29 with only three days left until a midnight deadline for the outlines of a deal.

Top New Democracy cadre and former minister Dora Bakoyanni reiterated on Sunday that the main opposition party must change leadership, a direct criticism of current ND president and previous PM Antonis Samaras.

Speaking during a television program, she said “New Democracy must be re-created from scratch, and re-founded on all levels”.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras?s planned visit to Moscow on April 8 will be a ?big event? in the course of relations between Greece and Russia, according to the Russian ambassador in Athens, Andrey Maslov, who told Sunday?s Kathimerini that his government would examine any request from the SYRIZA-led coalition for a loan.

Centrist Potami party on Saturday urged the SYRIZA government to "to stop playing with fire" by clashing with practically every European partner instead of dealing with the country's legitimate problems.