Baltic states

With fighter jets roaring overhead, NATO has inaugurated a military center in the Lithuanian capital amid growing regional concerns over Russia's military presence, sparked by the fighting in Ukraine.

UK-based Palletways Group has announced an expansion to its pan-European operations by adding Bulgaria and Romania, motortransport.co.uk reported on Wednesday.

This latest expansion means that Palletways now delivers to 20 European countries, according to the specialized website.

The member countries of NATO from Central and Eastern Europe are planning to hold a summit in Bucharest on November 3 and 4.

The former Eastern bloc countries of Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are expected to participate in the summit.

A move in Russia to review the legality of a 1991 decision formally granting Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia independence from the Soviet Union has alarmed the Baltic States and stoked tensions in ties with Moscow. 

US-led NATO drills began June 1 in the Baltic states and Poland, a move intended to reassure Russia's nervous neighbours amid tensions over Ukraine.

A NATO mission policing Baltic airspace amid heightened tensions with Russia has forged a rather exotic alliance to ensure the safety of pilots and their jets.

BELGRADE - The Belgrade summit will be an excellent forum for exchanging ideas on enhancing the cooperation and bringing us all closer to our common goals, Latvia's Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma says in an exclusive opinion piece for Tanjug ahead of the Third Meeting of Heads of Government of China and CEECs in Belgrade, which Tanjug publishes in full.

BELGRADE - Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) is intense, with numerous perspectives for the future, and provides all participating countries with excellent opportunities for bilateral and regional partnership in various fields, Lithuania's Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius says in an exclusive opinion piece for Tanjug ahead of the Third Meeting of He

NATO "could stage big maneuvers on Russian border"

BERLIN -- NATO could conduct maneuvers with tens of thousands of soldiers in the border regions of Russia and Ukraine, the German magazine Spiegel reports.

Lithuania passed a key hurdle to adopting the euro on Wednesday, winning the backing of the European Commission to become the 19th state to use the single currency from next year.
     
The European Union's executive praised the Baltic state's "long-standing support for prudent fiscal policies and economic reforms."