Southern and Southeastern Europe

US Engagement in the Balkans Seen as Vital

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Albanian foreign minister said United States has a ‘decisive’ role in Balkan reforms It is critical for the United States to deepen its engagement in the Balkans—a region that faces threats from terrorists as well as Russia, Albanian Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati said in Washington on March 21. In February, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama […]

Italy Seeks a US-European Front to Face Common Challenges

‘Transatlantic bond remains as important as ever,’ said Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano Unprecedented migration, instability in the Middle East, and the growing threat of terrorism necessitate a joint US-European approach to common security challenges that stem from the Mediterranean region, Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said at the Atlantic Council on March 21. “In […]

Tillerson Urges Senate Ratification of Montenegro’s NATO Membership

By Patricia Zengerle, Reuters

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has written to the leaders of the U.S. Senate urging the ratification of Montenegro as the newest member of the NATO alliance

Despite Sen. Rand Paul, Montenegro’s Foreign Minister is Confident of NATO Membership

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Montenegro’s Foreign Minister Srdjan Darmanovic is confident that, despite a procedural setback, the US Senate will ratify a protocol that will allow his nation to become the twenty-ninth member of NATO. This, he said, should happen before the Alliance’s summit in Brussels in May. NATO foreign ministers signed the Accession Protocol with Montenegro in May […]

Is Reunification Within Reach in Cyprus?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders, as well as the leadership in Athens and Ankara, are committed to ensuring the success of a protracted process aimed at the reunification of Cyprus, a top United Nations (UN) official said at the Atlantic Council on March 8. “I am more and more convinced that all parties would like […]

The West Needs to Call Russia’s Bluff in the Balkans

By Dimitar Bechev

For all the uncertainties about the Balkans, one thing stays the same. Every few years, the headline “We Are Heading for War Again” crops up in the Western media. The last time this happened, the 2014 centennial of the First World War inspired pundits to ask whether the world is on the cusp of another […]