Balkan countries

BELGRADE - Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic said on Tuesday Serbia's manoeuvring space regarding a proposal to admit the so-called Kosovo to the Council of Europe (CoE) was very small, but noted that "the truth and justice are on our side."

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reaffirmed Greece's commitment to supporting the European Union integration efforts of Western Balkan countries during his Wednesday meeting with Montenegro's Prime Minister Milojko Spajic.

BELGRADE - Serbian Deputy PM and Defence Minister Milos Vucevic said on Tuesday the heroes of the 1999 Battle of Kosare in Kosovo-Metohija "were, and remained, an impenetrable rampart of our freedom."

On the 25th anniversary of the battle, Vucevic said the heroes of Kosare had risen to the "immortal ranks" of "our ancestors."

BRUSSELS - The head of Serbia's Mission to the EU Danijel Apostolovic noted on Friday that Serbia had made evident progress on meeting EU accession criteria and that the country was long ready to open Cluster 3 on competition and inclusive growth in its accession talks, which he said were "held hostage by unfortunate and grave geopolitical circumstances."

BRUSSELS - The EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, said on Thursday "some gaps" between proposals by the two parties had been bridged in a new round of the Brussels dialogue earlier in the day and that he planned to continue the discussions soon based on EU ideas for compromise.

The Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE) is conducting a nationwide roadshow under the slogan "100 years of TEE: Designing the Greece of tomorrow for a century. And our journey continues." 

The roadshow begins traveling across cities in Central Macedonia, with the aim of bringing the celebration of TΕΕ's centenary closer to communities.

BELGRADE - Due to the overall geopolitical situation, Serbia is paying a high price, and the country is in an extremely difficult situation through no fault of its own, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday evening.

BELGRADE - The director of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic met with ambassadors and representatives of the Quint states - the US, the UK, France, Italy and Germany - and the head of the EU Delegation to Serbia on Friday to inform them of the political and security situation in Kosovo-Metohija, focusing on the most recent round of the Brussels dialogue.

BELGRADE - Serbian FM Ivica Dacic said on Thursday a decision by the Committee on Political Affairs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to accept a recommendation to admit the so-called Kosovo to the CoE was a direct violation of Serbia's interests and territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as a violation of the principles the CoE rested upon.

BRUSSELS - A bilateral meeting of Belgrade and EU delegations, headed by the director of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic and EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak, respectively, was concluded in Brussels on Monday afternoon.

Earlier, the EU representatives met with Pristina's delegation, headed by Besnik Bislimi.