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The New Silk Road

Divided EU Foreign Policies

Montenegro’s finance minister Milojko Spajic announced on June 17 that European financial institutions had almost completed plans to refinance over $800 million of debt owed to China for a 2014 highway project associated with Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, Reuters has reported. 

Montenegro: Government Finalizing Plans With Europe to Refinance China Debt

United States

Security

Military & Security

A man threw a grenade at the U.S. Embassy compound in Podgorica, before blowing himself up with a second grenade, DW reported Feb. 22.

Montenegro: Man Throws Grenade At U.S. Embassy Overnight, Commits Suicide

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Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov announced that Sofia will host the 2018 16+1 summit of Central and Eastern European countries and China, Euractiv reported Nov. 28.

Hungary: Bulgaria Announces It Will Host 2018 '16+1' Trade Summit

Russia

The Fight for Russia’s Borderlands

Russian authorities on Nov. 1 said the country will not extradite Ananije Nikic, who is accused in Montenegro of participating in an alleged coup attempt, RFE/RL reported. 

Russia: Authorities Reject Montenegro's Request To Extradite Suspect In Coup Attempt

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The Ukraine Conflict

Echoes of the Cold War

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence ended a two-day visit to Estonia on July 31 during which he affirmed the U.S. commitment to NATO and expressed interest in deploying Patriot surface-to-air missiles in the region, Radio Free Europe reported.

Estonia: U.S. Vice President Supports Patriot Missiles In Baltic States

France

Germany

Spain

President Donald Trump approved Montenegro's accession to NATO on April 11, AFP reported. NATO foreign ministers formally invited Montenegro to start talks on joining the 28-member military alliance in December 2015.

U.S.: White House Approves Montenegro’s NATO Accession

Military

NATO

The U.S. Senate approved Montenegro's bid to join NATO on March 28, the Financial Times reported March 29. 

U.S.: Senate Approves Montenegro Joining NATO

Kommersant sources said that Russian Secretary of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev's Oct. 25 surprise visit to Serbia was tied to the earlier deportation of Russian citizens, according to an Oct. 28 report. 

Montenegro: Russian Visit To Serbia Tied To Mysterious Deportations

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On Security

Turkey

Kosovo

Demonstrators in Belgrade, Serbia, hold up Serbian flags and a photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 24, 2022, during a rally in support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

In the second part of this series, we explore China and Russia's interests in the Balkans and what their activities may mean for the region's long-term stability.

The Risk of Another Balkans War, Part 2: Russian and Chinese Influence

Greece

NATO soldiers patrol a roadblock set up by ethnic Serbs near Zubin Potok, a town in northern Kosovo, on Aug. 1, 2022. 

Social Issues

Despite ethnically-tinged tensions between Kosovo and Serbia that most recently made the news, there appear to be numerous restraints on a potential return to widespread regional conflict. 

The Risk of Another Balkans War, Part 1: Placing Recent Flashpoints in Context

Assessments

An external view of the building of the European Union in Brussels, Belgium. 

COVID-19

Environment, Science & Technology

European Disintegration

Science & Technology

As COVID-19 forces the EU to remain focused on recovering (and not enlarging) its economy, candidate countries such as Serbia risk veering away from the reforms they had been pursuing to earn their place in the bloc.

What the Fading Promise of EU Accession Means for the Balkans

Snapshots

Significant proportions of citizens in the Balkans region of Europe think more needs to be done to make their governments more transparent and less corrupt. 

Demonstrators in Albania, Serbia, Montenegro and Romania have recently taken to the streets to decry the opaque nature of their governments and media.

Balkans: Disparate Protests Share a Common Demand for More Openness

The European Commission has a strategy to offer EU membership to a half-dozen countries in the Western Balkans, but it won't happen anytime soon. 

EU: Brussels Promises Membership To Six Countries, Someday

Global Perspectives

Partner Perspectives

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's good rapport with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker may partly explain Juncker's recent calls to admit Serbia and Montenegro to the European Union by 2025.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is pushing to admit Serbia and Montenegro to the European Union. But are the Western Balkan countries ready for accession?

EU Expansion Receives an Unlikely Boost

Contributor Perspectives

Many of the underlying problems plaguing the Balkans are still unsolved. 

Tensions are bubbling to the surface in the Balkans once again, perhaps to the region's peril. But will global leaders take notice and step up in time?  

As Crisis Brews in the Balkans, the West Looks On

EU and NATO officials have visited Macedonia and expressed support for its membership in both institutions.

The fragile Balkan country has been mending fences with Greece, Albania and Bulgaria as it tries to join the European Union and NATO.

Why Macedonia Is Becoming a Friendlier Neighbor

Reflections

With visits to Estonia, Georgia and Montenegro, the tour by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is meant to reassure nervous allies on the front lines of the Russia-West standoff.

On his visit to Europe's borderlands, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence reassured allies that Washington supports them against Moscow.

The U.S. Offers Cool Comfort as Tension With Russia Heats Up

United Kingdom

Italy

Leaders from the Western Balkans and the European Union are assembling in Italy to continue talks aimed at forging closer relations. But for some Balkan states targeted in the latest round of courting, the promise of EU membership may hold less sway than the charms of actual Russian investment.

Europe: Nations Courted With Funds and Promises in Show of Soft Power

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The pace of the transition will be decided by how quickly new technologies reach the developing world.

Paris Agreement Emphasizes Shift Away From Oil

SITUATION REPORTS

Montenegro: Government Finalizing Plans With Europe to Refinance China Debt

Montenegro: Man Throws Grenade At U.S. Embassy Overnight, Commits Suicide

Hungary: Bulgaria Announces It Will Host 2018 '16+1' Trade Summit

Russia: Authorities Reject Montenegro's Request To Extradite Suspect In Coup Attempt

Estonia: U.S. Vice President Supports Patriot Missiles In Baltic States

U.S.: White House Approves Montenegro’s NATO Accession

U.S.: Senate Approves Montenegro Joining NATO

Montenegro: Russian Visit To Serbia Tied To Mysterious Deportations

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