Balkanalysis.com

Archive for February, 2007

Projects and Possibilities: Turkey’s Future Role as a Transit Country for Central Asian and Caspian Natural Gas to the EU

By Mehmet Efe Biresselioglu*
Nowadays, energy diplomacy is more crucial than ever for the EU. There is a strong need for a long-term EU common energy policy in order to enable the bloc to meet its future energy needs. Turkey is likely to play an important role in the EU’s energy strategy.
Energy has always occupied [...]

The Hague Reclaims Haradinaj as Protest Looms in Kosovo

Former KLA chief and ex-Kosovo prime minister Ramush Haradinaj was returned to the custody of the Hague Tribunal today, just as the recent death of a potential key witness in the international court’s war crimes case against him underscored the likelihood that the powerful Albanian leader will prevail by way of intimidation.
In Haradinaj’s opinion, of [...]

Photo of the Week

An alluring outpost. Spinalonga, Greece

Photo of the Week

Unlikely Entrepreneur Creates Macedonia’s First Authentic Irish Pub

By Christopher Deliso
At first, Mark Murphy’s story might seem common enough; Western peacekeeper stationed in the Balkans falls in love with local girl whom he meets on the job. However, what happened after for this Irish soldier and resident of Kumanovo, a city of 100,000 in Macedonia’s northeast, is much more remarkable. For rather than [...]

Ohrid Wahhabis Kill Man in Botched Village Exorcism

The Muslim-majority Macedonian village of Labunista, long known for its small but prominent Wahhabi fundamentalist community, has become the scene of controversy once again. According to a February 10th investigation from Skopje newspaper Vreme, well-intentioned but apparently unqualified Muslim clerics murdered a local man while trying to wrest him from the demonic grips of his [...]

Photo of the Week

Is There No Independence Station for the Kosovo Train?

By Borka Tomic (Serbian Institute for Public Diplomacy, Brussels)
While some high US officials have claimed that Kosovo’s “train for independence has left the station,” recent developments show that the train for Kosovo’s future might not be stopping at the station of independence. Namely, the Council of Europe, the continent’s oldest political organization, with the input [...]

The End of an Era in the Armenian Genocide Debate: Will Recognition Lead to a Turkish Policy Transformation?

If Turkey gives up its opposition to potential US recognition of the atrocities between Turks and Armenians that took place during World War One as α “genocide,” will its diplomatic hand ultimately be strengthened? The following article argues that this just might be the case.
By Mehmet Kalyoncu
What should have happened ninety-two years ago [...]

Photo of the Week

Kosovo: Wiping the Slate Clean for Some Dirty Work Ahead

Several recent events in and around Kosovo indicate the emergence of new complexities and the thickening of old plots, as the Albanian leaders of the UN-occupied province prepare for final status negotiations next month with Belgrade under the aegis of the United Nations – though the [...]

Trilateral Signing in Skopje Brings AMBO Oil Pipeline a Step Closer to Realization

By Christopher Deliso
Economy ministers representing Macedonia, Bulgaria and Albania signed an important trilateral convention at a ceremony at 1 PM on Wednesday at the Macedonian government building. The signing paves the way for preliminary work to begin on the long-anticipated AMBO oil pipeline, devised since 1994 but still not executed.
However, with yesterday’s signing another hurdle [...]