"If it weren’t for you, the United States of America, even Albania would not recognise our independence. Please continue your efforts for the stabilisation of the north, against the division of Kosovo, because only you can do this." United States vice president Joe Biden begins a short tour of the Western Balkans on May 20 2009 with a visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina before heading on to Serbia and Kosovo. Biden will go to Serbia first, in what Washington apparently hopes will be the start of a new state in relations between the US and Serbia. Serbian news agency Tanjug, quoting Belgrade-based daily Politika, US ambassador to Serbia Cameron Munter portrayed Biden’s visit as representing continuance of American policy, "commitment to progress of not only Serbia but the entire region - its EU integration and co-operation in military and investment issues". Munter said in reply to a question that he foresaw no change to the legal status of Kosovo.
We are still in the midst of the 10-year anniversary of our NATO attack on Serbia on behalf of bin Laden-trained/financed KLA terrorists, to help steal Serbian land because Albanians reached a majority in part of that country. The 1999 bombing lasted from March 24 to June 10. If Americans deign to recall, the “trigger” event that was used to touch off the NATO assault (which was already being planned for a year at that point), was something called “the Racak Massacre.”
Europe will need not just one but several new gas pipelines, Russia's EU envoy Vladimir Chizhov said on Monday ahead of a Russia-EU summit, but questioned the objectivity of the EU's Eastern Partnership project. He said at the current rate of demand, Europe will need "North Stream, South Stream, Nabucco and perhaps half a dozen others," adding that Nabucco was originally conceived as a political project and so he had "serious doubts that its construction will be cheaper than South Stream." Russian gas monopoly Gazprom signed agreements on Friday with transit states Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Italy to push forward South Stream, to pump natural gas to Europe.
China has begun construction of a major crude oil pipeline to Russia at the terminal in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang. Vice-Premier Wang Qishan attended the launch at the border county, Mohe. Russia started construction at its end three weeks ago. The pipeline will run from Sko-voro-dino in Russia to Daqing City in China. The 1,000 kilometer pipeline is designed to transport 15 million tons of crude oil a year from Russia. The pipeline project is one of the energy cooperation deals China and Russia signed in February.
Macedonia expects detailed talks with Greece about a name dispute that has blocked Skopje's admission to NATO and which could hinder its entry to the European Union, its president said on Monday. Greece vetoed Macedonia's NATO entry last year because of Macedonia's name, which is the same as that of Greece's northernmost province. Unless the dispute is resolved, Greece is likely to do the same once Skopje starts negotiating EU membership. Skopje uses the name Macedonia in bilateral ties with the United States, Russia, China and Canada but at the United Nations it is called 'The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.' NATO and the EU also use the acronym FYROM.
The Cyprus problem was among the regional security priority issues discussed between the Prime Ministers of Russia and Turkey. The Prime Ministers met at the Russian resort Sotsi on the Black Sea. Erdogan invited Putin to visit Turkey.
The Theological School in Halki should be immediately opened- this will be demanded by the EU. In addition, in its report on Turkey the Sub-Commission on prevention of discrimination to UN recommended measures in direction to solving the issues of the Greek minority in Turkey regarding the return of confiscated property. It was also recommended for the legislation to be modified in order to allow teaching of languages traditionally used in Turkey, Greek being one of them. It is important that Ankara observes the European Court decisions on human rights.