Republics

BRUSSELS - Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama's visit to Serbia would be welcome despite the recent incidents during a soccer match in Belgrade, Maja Kocijancic, spokesperson of the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, said in Brussels on Thursday.

PARIS - UEFA President Michel Platini said that the situation concerning the European qualifier between Serbia and Albania is not innocuous at all, and posed a question as to what would have happened if the drone flying over the Partizan stadium in Belgrade had carried a bomb instead of a flag.

At least six pupils were injured after a mass brawl erupted on Wednesday between the Albanian and Montenegrin pupils at an ethnically-mixed high school in Tuzi, a suburb of the Montenegrin capital.

The violence, which involved several dozen pupils, broke out after a few Albanian pupils came to school dressed in red T-shirts with Albanian symbols.

The regions of Sliven and Burgas have the highest percentage of young population, shows data of Eurostat, quoted by Bulgarian-language media.

In the Sliven region the share of people aged below 15 is 17.6% and in Burgas - 15%. The average share of people below 15 in the EU is around 16% of the total population.

Bulgaria's largest party GERB and the Reformist Bloc have both taken a U-turn after initially saying they found it impossible to shake hands during the government consultations on Wednesday.

Svetla Todorova, Chair of Bulgaria's State Commission for Energy and Water Regulation (DKEVR), has suggested that power rates should not increase further as of January 1.

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Most Romanians believe that it is better if the President and the Prime Minister are part of the same political camp, an INSCOP poll on Thursday sent to AGERPRES shows.

ATLANTA/BELGRADE - Serbia will remain a true pillar of stability in the Western Balkans, and nothing can compromise this, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told U.S. television channel CNN commenting on the incident which took place at a football match between Serbia and Albania on Tuesday evening.

Albanian ambassador given strong demarche

BELGRADE -- Albanian Ambassador in Belgrade Ilir Bocka was on Wednesday summoned to the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he received a strong demarche.

The report, signed by the Deputy Prime Minister, Edita Tahiri, who heads the Kosovo team in the EU-led dialogue with Serbia, noted some progress in implementing the agreements with Belgrade, but voiced concern over Serbia's willingness to meet all its obligations.

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