Balkan countries

For a 14th year running, the Perperikon Festival is to take place at the site of the ancient Thracian city in the Eastern Rhodopes, Bulgaria.

Serbia is a democratic country in the heart of Europe and should not close its borders, UNHCR Representative in Serbia Hans Friedrich Schodder has said.

He added that it was "good that the country is not planning to close its border with Macedonia."

Serbia is committed to good-neighborly relations and cooperation with regional countries, President Tomislav Nikolic's press service said in a statement.

A project for a regional information technology hub uniting the networks of Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia is to be discussed by government representatives of the three countries at a meeting in Vidin.

The project is an initiative of Bulgaria's Ministry of Transport, Information Technology, and Communications.

The World Bank has upwardly adjusted to 3 per cent its estimates of Romania's economic growth in 2015, from a previous 2.9 per cent this January, according to the June edition of the bank's 'Global Economic Prospects. The Global Economy in Transition,' released on Wednesday.

Relations between Serbia and Montenegro have considerably improved compared to the previous period, says Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic.

According to him, "both sides would like to be together in the EU someday."

Serbs in Montenegro are discriminated against but they intend to be persistent in asserting their rights, their representatives told Tomislav Nikolic on Monday.

They organized a reception for the Serbian president after the summit of leaders of the Brdo-Brioni Process in Budva and informed him about the problems they are facing.

Montenegro's annual national report on the weapons trade said the country exported arms worth around 11 million euros over the last year, a rise of 41 per cent in value in comparison to previous years.

The Ministry of Economy report, which BIRN has seen, contains information on each export licence issued, a description of the goods, the number of items involved and the total value.

On World Climate Day on Friday, the SEE SEP network of CSOs from South East Europe, called on the governments of the region to act promptly and put forward ambitious commitments for the upcoming global climate agreement in Paris.

A Greek Foreign Ministry official will travel to Skopje in the next few days to discuss confidence-building measures with the government in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias revealed on Thursday.