June 30, 2009: Balkan diplomacy struggles on. A UN mediator will sponsor new talks in July between Greece and Macedonia, in an attempt to resolve "The Name War." Greece insists that Macedonia be called the FYROM (FOrmer Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia).
June 24, 2009: The government of Moldova said that it will continue to require Romanian citizens visiting Moldova to meet visa requirements. A political tit for tat is going on. Moldova wants the European Union (Romania is an EU member) to lift visa requirements on Moldovans. Also, Moldova's current government has accused Romania of being involved in the post-election demonstrations following the April 2009 national elections.
Former Bosnian Muslim militia commander Nasir Oric, who was active during the Bosnia war, was sentenced to two years in jail for illegally possessing weapons and explosives.
June 22, 2009: The Greek terrorist group Revolutionary Sect claimed "credit" for the murder of a Greek policemen. The policeman was killed on June 17 while protecting a witness who is testifying against members of an another terror group, the Peoples Revolutionary Struggle (ELA).
June 19, 2009: The presidents of 14 Balkan and central European nations recommended that the "western Balkans" be integrated into the European Union. One of the subjects discussed by the presidents was liberalizing visa requirements for non-EU Balkan nations. What is interesting about the recommendation is that Serbia was included as a candidate for EU accession.
June 18, 2009: The government of Serbia sentenced four former Serb militia leaders to long prison sentences for war crimes committed in Kosovo in 1999.
The government of Turkey asked federal prosecutors to investigate the possible involvement of the Turkish military in a conspiracy to "destabilize" the government led by the "moderate Islamist" Justice and Development Party (AKP). This is actually a very big deal in Turkey. The military has the constitutional authority to protect Turkey's secular state (a mandate from Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Turkish republic).
June 17, 2009: Serbia remains opposed to Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence. The Serb government said that it would never recognize Kosovo as a "separate entity."
June 16, 2009: The European Union said that Serbia must begin to deal with Kosovo as a separate country if Serbia wants to join the EU.
The president of Moldova dissolved Moldova's parliament and called for new national elections. The new elections are scheduled for July 29. Moldova's April 2009 elections resulted in extensive protests and produced a parliament that could not elect a new president.
