The Dispatch

Serbia asks Russia to end recruitment of its people for Ukraine war

Russia should halt its efforts to recruit Serbs to fight alongside its Wagner paramilitary group in Ukraine, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said. Vucic criticised Russia's websites and social media groups for…

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Sweden, Finland must send up to 130 “terrorists” to Turkey for NATO bid, Erdogan says

Sweden and Finland must deport or extradite up to 130 "terrorists" to Turkey before the Turkish parliament will approve their bids to join NATO, President Tayyip Erdogan said. The two…

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Bulgaria’s inflation flat at 16.9% y/y in December

SOFIA, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's consumer price inflation remained unchanged at 16.9% on an annual basis in December from a month earlier, data from the statistics office showed on…

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Bulgaria’s Socialists get the final chance to form a government

SOFIA, Jan 16 (Reuters) - In a last attempt to end Bulgaria's prolonged political deadlock, President Rumen Radev has invited the Socialist Party to try and form a government, its…

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Cargo ship from Ukraine grounded in Bosphorus strait, traffic halted

ISTANBUL, Jan 16 (Reuters) - The cargo ship MKK 1, travelling from Ukraine to Turkey, was grounded in Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait on Monday and traffic in the strait was suspended…

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Bulgaria launches probe of crypto lender Nexo, raids sites

SOFIA, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Bulgarian prosecutors have launched an investigation into alleged illegal activities conducted by cryptocurrency lender Nexo, they said on Thursday, raiding more than 15 sites in…

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Solid start for Croatia’s euro changeover

Almost one week after Croatia's entry into the euro area, a survey has found that its euro changeover has progressed well in its initial phase. The changeover took place on…

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Bosnian Serb leader awards Russian President Putin medal in absentia

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin was awarded in absentia by Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik on Sunday, during a ceremony marking the Bosnian autonomous Serb Republic's…

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NATO declines Serbia’s request to deploy its troops in Kosovo

BELGRADE, Jan 8 (Reuters) - NATO's mission in Kosovo, KFOR, has declined a Serbian government request to send up to 1,000 police and army personnel to Kosovo following a spate…

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Next party up as Bulgaria seeks new government

Bulgaria's second largest party, the anti-graft We Continue the Change (PP), will seek support to form a minority government and end a prolonged political impasse, Prime Minister-designate Nikolay Denkov said…

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Historic new year for Croatia as it joins euro, Schengen area

BREGANA BORDER CROSSING, Croatia, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Croatia rang in two historic changes with the new year, as the European Union's youngest member joined both the EU's border-free Schengen zone and…

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Kosovo re-opens border crossings after Serbs remove roadblocks

PRISTINA (Reuters) - Kosovo opened two border crossings with Serbia in the volatile north on Friday, following three weeks of closure after Serbs set up roadblocks to protest against the…

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Serbia removes state of high alert for troops

BELGRADE, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Serbia on Thursday removed a state of high alert for its troops that it had introduced three days ago over tensions in Kosovo, news agency Tanjug reported,…

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Serbs in northern Kosovo to start removing barricades from Thursday

By Fatos Bytyci MITROVICA, Kosovo, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Kosovo Serbs who have been blocking roads in northern Kosovo for 19 days have agreed to start removing barricades from Thursday morning, bowing…

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UPDATE – US, EU, NATO urge restraint as Serbia-Kosovo border crossings close

Serbia put its army on highest alert on Monday Third major border crossing closed on Wednesday Serbs in northern Kosovo resist moves they see as anti-Serb Kosovo declared independence, with…

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Kremlin backs Serbia, denies Russia is stoking tensions in Kosovo

By Guy Faulconbridge MOSCOW, Dec 28 (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Wednesday said it supported Serbia's attempts to protect ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo but denied Pristina's accusation that Russia…

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Why ethnic tensions are flaring again in northern Kosovo?

PRISTINA (Reuters) - Protesting Serbs in the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica in northern Kosovo erected new barricades on Tuesday, hours after Serbia said it had put its army on…

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Kosovan minister says Serbia aims to destabilise the country

MITROVICA, Kosovo (Reuters) -Kosovan Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla on Tuesday said Serbia, under the influence of Russia, was aiming to destabilise Kosovo by supporting the Serb minority in the north…

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Turkey accuses Cyprus of increasing tension in east Mediterranean over gas exploration

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey accused Cyprus of increasing tension in the Eastern Mediterranean after a consortium of Italian and French energy companies found more natural gas off the island earlier…

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Shots fired near NATO patrol in Kosovo’s volatile north, NATO says

PRISTINA (Reuters) - Shots were fired near a NATO patrol in the northern part of Kosovo where local Serbs have set up roadblocks to bar police from Pristina from patrolling…

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Photo Story: Christmas decoration in Sofia

People take pictures of a Nativity scene showing the birth of Jesus Christ in Sofia, Bulgaria. Via EPA-EFE/VASSIL DONEV

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Turkey raises monthly minimum wage by 55% for 2023

ANKARA, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Turkey's monthly minimum wage will be 8,506.80 lira ($455) in 2023, the Turkish presidency said on Thursday, marking a 55% increase from the level determined…

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Car bomb strikes police bus in southeast Turkey – minister

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) -A roadside car bomb exploded, damaging a police minibus on a highway in southeast Turkey's Diyarbakir province on Friday, and nine people in the bus were taken…

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EU leaders grant Bosnia EU candidate status

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders agreed on Thursday to make Bosnia and Herzegovina a formal candidate to join the bloc of 27 nations. "Bosnia and Herzegovina was granted the…

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Thousands protest in Turkey over Istanbul mayor’s conviction

ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Thousands of people rallied in Turkey on Thursday to oppose the conviction and political ban of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, chanting slogans criticising President Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling AK…

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UPDATED: Kosovo formally applies to join EU

PRAGUE, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti submitted a bid for Kosovo to join the European Union on Thursday, launching a process that could take years, if…

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UPDATED: Bulgaria’s GERB fails to win approval for technocrat government

SOFIA, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's parliament on Wednesday rejected a technocrat government proposed by the centre-right GERB party, deepening a prolonged political impasse in the Balkan country and bringing…

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Erdogan: Turkey’s inflation will fall to 40% in months, 20% in 2023

ANKARA, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday it was "apparent" that inflation would fall to around 40% in a few months, and further to 20% in 2023.…

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EU prepared to send reinforcements to mission in Kosovo

BRUSSELS, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The European Union is ready to reinforce its EULEX mission, tasked with patrolling northern Kosovo, in response to the latest tensions in the region, the bloc's foreign…

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EU’s Borrell urges Kosovo and Serbia to de-escalate after latest clashes

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Kosovo and Serbia must de-escalate a tense situation in the region, the European Union's foreign policy chief said, after Serb protesters in northern Kosovo blocked main roads…

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Serbs in Kosovo clash with police as ethnic tensions flare

MITROVICA, Kosovo (Reuters) -Serb protesters in northern Kosovo blocked main roads for a second day on Sunday following a nightime exchange of fire with police after the arrest of a…

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Serbs in Kosovo block roads, clash with police as ethnic tensions worsen

By Fatos Bytyci MITROVICA, Kosovo Dec 11 (Reuters) - Serb protesters in northern Kosovo blocked main roads for a second day on Sunday following a nightime exchange of fire with…

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Serbia to ask NATO to deploy Serb military, police in Kosovo – Vucic

BELGRADE (Reuters) -Serbia will ask NATO peacekeepers to let it deploy Serbian military and police in Kosovo, although it believes there is no chance of the request being approved, President…

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UPDATED: G7 oil price cap not to blame for Turkey tanker queues, EU says

By Kate Abnett BRUSSELS, Dec 9 (Reuters) - The Group of Seven countries' price cap on Russian oil is not responsible for a queue of tankers waiting in the Black…

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EU drafts new proposal for Kosovo-Serbia ties – senior EU diplomat

TIRANA (Reuters) -The European Union has drafted a new proposal for normalisation of ties between Kosovo and Serbia with a clear timeline of actions, according to a senior EU diplomat,…

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Albanian opposition leader punched in face as he marches to protest

Albanian opposition leader Sali Berisha was punched in the face by a male bystander as he led a crowd of his party's supporters to central Tirana for anti-government protests taking…

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MIG-21 fighter jet crashes in Croatia, pilots eject and survive

SARAJEVO (Reuters) -A two-seater MIG-21 plane crashed during a military drill on Tuesday in an uninhabited forest area of Slatina in northeastern Croatia but both pilots were rescued, the Croatian…

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Bulgaria presses doubters before vote on Schengen zone entry

Bulgarian Prime Minister Galab Donev on Monday said the Netherlands was opposing Bulgaria's bid to join the EU's passport-free Schengen travel region, ahead of a meeting of Europe's home affairs…

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No one can bypass EU sanctions against Russia through Serbia, Vucic says

BELGRADE, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday no one can bypass EU sanctions against Russia through Serbia, which imports all of its gas from Russia…

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Turkish forces nearly ready for a Syria ground operation

ONCUPINAR, Turkey, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Turkey's army needs just a few days to be ready for a ground incursion into northern Syria and such a decision may come at…

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Earthquake shakes northwest Turkey, 50 people injured

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - An earthquake of magnitude 5.9 shook northwest Turkey and was felt in Istanbul early on Wednesday, injuring 50 people and damaging some buildings in the province of…

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Turkey to clamp down harder on shops charging excessive prices

ANKARA, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he will hold discussions at the next cabinet meeting on adopting heavier measures for supermarkets and stores that charge excessive…

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Father and son missing as floods hit northern Albania

TIRANA, Nov 20 (Reuters) - A father and son were missing in Albania on Sunday after their car was swept into a river during floods in the north of the country as…

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Bulgaria charges five people in connection with Istanbul blast

SOFIA (Reuters) -Bulgarian prosecutors have charged five people for supporting terrorist acts in connection with an explosion in central Istanbul that killed six people on Nov. 13, chief prosecutor Ivan…

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EU police patrol Kosovo’s north after Serb officers quit

MITROVICA, Kosovo, Nov 19 (Reuters) - European Union police officers are undertaking patrols in northern Kosovo after some 600 police officers from the Serb minority quit over a car licence…

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Serbia, Hungary and Austria agree to bolster fight against illegal migrations

By Aleksandar Vasovic BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbia on Wednesday agreed with Hungary and Austria to deploy more joint police patrols along its southern borders and align visa policies with those…

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UPDATED: Kremlin “neither confirms nor denies” talks with U.S. in Turkey

Nov 14 (Reuters) - Russian and U.S. officials are holding talks in the Turkish capital Ankara, the Russian newspaper Kommersant reported on Monday, citing a source. Sergei Naryshkin, head of…

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UPDATED: Turkey blames deadly bomb on Kurdish militants, arrests Syrian woman

By Jonathan Spicer, Ali Kucukgocmen and Ece Toksabay ISTANBUL, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Turkey blamed Kurdish militants on Monday for an explosion that killed six people on a busy Istanbul…

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UPDATE – Person who left bomb causing Istanbul explosion arrested – Anadolu citing minister

Nov 14 (Reuters) - The person who left the bomb that caused Istanbul's explosion was arrested by the police, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Monday according to state-run Anadolu…

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Anti-government protesters scuffle with police in Albania

TIRANA (Reuters) - Opposition protesters scuffled with police in front of the office of Prime Minister Edi Rama on Saturday where tens of thousands had gathered to protest against corruption,…

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Turkish unemployment rate rises to 10.1% in September

ISTANBUL, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Turkey's unemployment rate rose 0.3 percentage points month-on-month to 10.1% in September, while a seasonally adjusted measure of labour under-utilisation rose to 20.3%, data showed…

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Bulgarian lawmakers give government month to devise Ukraine military aid plan

SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria should send military aid to Ukraine, the parliament decided, giving the caretaker government one month to come up with a plan for what weapons the Black…

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Turkey’s inflation hits 24-year high of 85.5% after rate cuts

ISTANBUL, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Turkish annual inflation climbed to a new 24-year high of 85.51% in October, official data showed on Thursday, slightly below forecast, after the central bank…

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Western Balkans leaders to sign deals on closer integration in Berlin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Western Balkans leaders are set to sign three agreements on mutual recognition of identity cards, university degrees and professional qualifications at a summit in Berlin on Thursday.…

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Albania tells Britain: do not blame us for your immigration problems

LONDON (Reuters) - Albania's prime minister accused Britain of using his country's citizens as scapegoats for its failed immigration policies after derogatory comments by British ministers about a rise in…

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Serbia’s president warns: We’ll shoot down foreign drones

Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić issued an order Tuesday for Serbian forces to shoot down foreign drones entering the country’s airspace. According to unconfirmed reports by the Serbian pro-government daily Večernje…

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Germany tells Serbia: you have to choose between EU and Russia

Serbia must decide whether it wants to join the European Union or enter into a partnership with Russia, Germany told Belgrade on Tuesday, two days before six Western Balkan countries are…

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