Meanwhile In Balkans...

[Stuart Galbraith]

 

Interesting videoapeal from Crimea to Serbs: "One day Kosovo will become your Crimea"

Er... No.

 

You say that like the Serbs are going to get a choice in the matter.

[ink]

 

Er... No.

 

You say that like the Serbs are going to get a choice in the matter.

Good point!

[Panzermann]

FYROM! Yippieyayay?

 

NATO Foreign Ministers sign Accession Protocol with Montenegro

 

Today, NATO Foreign Ministers signed the Accession Protocol for Montenegro, marking a historic step in Montenegros path to the Alliance. Speaking at a joint press conference with Montenegrin Prime Minister Djukanovic, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg underlined that todays decision is a clear sign that NATOs door remains open for partners that share and promote our values.

The Secretary General noted that, as of today, Montenegro will participate in all NATO meetings as an observer. Once all Allies have ratified the Protocol, Montenegro will be invited to accede to the Washington Treaty and become the 29 member of the Alliance. Mr. Stoltenberg highlighted that Montenegro already contributes to NATO operations, promoting regional cooperation in the Balkans and implementing major reforms. Membership will give Montenegro the ability to help shape NATO policy. It will bring more stability and security to the region, and therefore promoting prosperity , said the Secretary General.

Mr. Stoltenberg added that the road to NATO membership is not easy, but Montenegro is showing that it is possible. I expect we will soon see twenty-nine Allied flags flying outside of NATO headquarters. NATO membership will bring Montenegro into our unique family of nations - the most successful alliance in history, said the Secretary General.

 

19 May. 2016 - | Last updated: 19 May. 2016 15:18

http://nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_131132.htm

 

interesting language options on the nato site.

[klahtinen]

Meanwhile in Kosovo:

 

The New York Times: How Kosovo Was Turned Into Fertile Ground for Isis

 

Forget Soviet Union and communism. We have a new player for the world revolution (and Brits and Yanks are arming it).

[bojan]

And it does not even touch on pre-1999 radical influences, through that one was coming from Iran, with only limited Saudi involvement (on Kosovo, in Bosnia they were heavily involved from a day 1). Plus Pakistanis and Qatar involvement pre 1999 in both.

 

 

 

[bojan]

http://inserbia.info/today/2016/07/icty-exonerates-slobodan-milosevic-for-war-crimes/

http://www.icty.org/x/cases/karadzic/tjug/en/160324_judgement.pdf

[Panzermann]

Balkan being Balkan. much peace process, so provocation:

 

A train covered with Serbian political and religious symbols, scheduled to travel from Belgrade to North Mitrovica today, and launched with fanfare by Marko Djuric, the director of Serbias Office for Kosovo and Metohija, failed to reach its destination.

The train which began its journey in the morning, was stopped at 4 pm in Raska, Serbia before reaching the Jarinje border where special units of Kosovo Police had been deployed. Kosovo government opposed the train, claiming it was a provocation of the Serbian government.

http://prishtinainsight.com/provocative-train-serbia-stopped-entering-kosovo/

 

Serbias president said on Sunday that Kosovo had shown it wanted war with after it deployed special forces to prevent a train painted with Serbias national colours and the words Kosovo is Serbia from entering its territory.

President Tomislav Nikolic said the neighbours had been on the brink of conflict on Saturday, while Kosovos prime minister told reporters the train, a project of the Serbian government, sent a message of occupation.

http://www.reuters.com/article/serbia-kosovo-idUSL5N1F50E7

[Panzermann]

from al jazeera

[bojan]

Pre-election dog and pony show.

[Roman Alymov]

Pre-election dog and pony show.

In this interview Serbian pro-Rus volunteer is expressing his concerns about this train, current Serbia leadership as traitors, “worst men in history of Serbia” – is it his personal opinion or views like that are wide spread?

https://youtu.be/4KNqN2VyrA8?t=339

[ink]

 

 

Pre-election dog and pony show.

In this interview Serbian pro-Rus volunteer is expressing his concerns about this train, current Serbia leadership as traitors, worst men in history of Serbia is it his personal opinion or views like that are wide spread?

https://youtu.be/4KNqN2VyrA8?t=339

Widespread.

[bojan]

Macedonia again

https://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2017/04/whats-going-in-macedonia/524622/

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/secrecy-over-bunker-fuels-tension-in-macedonia-04-25-2017

 

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2017-04-27/protesters-enter-macedonia-parliament-after-ethnic-albanian-elected-as-speaker-witnesses

Edited April 27, 2017 by bojan

[bojan]

45 wounded so far

[GARGEAN]

Russian set-up?

[bojan]

It is VMRO rebelling, and they hate Russia.

 

Between 77 and 100 wounded in the clashes with a police with a rumors of Skoplje police units refusing orders.

Edited April 28, 2017 by bojan

[Roman Alymov]

Russian set-up?

It was indirect Russian plot – to recruit Liam Neeson (who demonstrated his performance by acting deputy commander of Soviet sub in K-19: The Widowmaker ) to act in Taken -1,2,3 as retired CIA agent fighting against Albanian organized crime – thus casting shadow on this nice people and making locals in Balkans region to rise up against them

[Panzermann]

While nobody was looking Montenegro has been formally accepted into NATO yesterday on the fifth.

http://www.independent.mk//articles/43533/Montenegro+to+Formally+Join+NATO+on+June+



NATO|OTAN's press release:

Montenegro joins NATO as 29th Ally

• 05 Jun. 2017 -
• |
• Last updated: 05 Jun. 2017 18:55

• English
• French

Montenegro became NATO’s newest member on Monday (5 June 2017), upon depositing its instrument of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty with the US State Department in Washington DC. At a ceremony marking the occasion, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg underlined that Montenegro’s accession to the Alliance contributes to international peace and security, and sends a strong signal that NATO’s door remains open. The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Duško Marković and by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Montenegro Srdan Darmanovic and was hosted by the United States Undersecretary for Political Affairs Thomas A. Shannon.


"Today, Montenegro joins NATO with a seat at the table as an equal, with an equal voice in shaping our Alliance, and its independence guaranteed," the Secretary General said. Mr. Stoltenberg noted that NATO will benefit from Montenegro’s insight into the Western Balkans "and the professionalism, bravery and dedication of its men and women in uniform". He stressed that NATO’s collective pledge, Article 5, has kept Allies safe for almost seven decades.
Allied Foreign Ministers signed Montenegro's Accession Protocol in May 2016, after which all 28 national parliaments voted to ratify Montenegro's membership. A flag-raising ceremony for Montenegro will take place at NATO Headquarters on 7 June 2017.
Today marks NATO's first enlargement since 1 April 2009, when Albania and Croatia joined the Alliance.

 

from: http://nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_144647.htm



Remarks by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at Montenegro's Instrument of Accession deposit event in Washington, DC - Monday, 5 june 2017 (transcript)

 

you may also watch a video or listen to a podcast at the release link if you are so inclined

Edited June 6, 2017 by Panzermann

[JWB]

Life Sentence for Ratko Mladic

https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/11/22/icty/bosnia-life-sentence-ratko-mladic

[urbanoid]

[Josh]

I thought this article particularly illustrative of the attitudes in Estonia. Clearly pretty anti-Russia, but then how could you be B3 and not be?

 

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/07/10/they-will-die-in-tallinn-estonia-girds-for-war-with-russia-218965?cid=apn

[wendist]

Baltics and the Balkans I guess is like Sweden and Switzerland, it can be though to get it right.

[bojan]

Austria and Australia.

[Josh]

Sorry, wrong threat. I forgot the Baltics were in the 'Poland' thread.

[Stuart Galbraith]

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-greece-russia-diplomats/greece-to-expel-two-russian-diplomats-ban-two-others-kathimerini-idUKKBN1K10PW

 

ATHENS/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia and Greece were poised on Wednesday to expel two of each other’s diplomats in a rare dispute that Greek media said had been prompted by the issue of Macedonia, which expects this week to be formally invited to join the NATO alliance.

Athens will expel the two Russian diplomats and ban entry to two others on suspicion that they tried to undermine an accord clinched between Greece and neighbouring Macedonia last month, the Greek daily Kathimerini reported, citing diplomatic sources.

That deal - whereby Macedonia will become formally known as the Northern Republic of Macedonia - will unlock a formal invitation from NATO for the tiny ex-Yugoslav republic to join the bloc, a move strongly opposed by Moscow.

Russia’s foreign ministry said it would respond in kind to the expulsions, Interfax news agency reported.

Greece and Russia share the Orthodox Christian religion and have traditionally had warm ties. Greece did not join most other NATO allies in March in withdrawing diplomats from Moscow over the poisoning of a former Russian spy in England. Britain blamed Russia for that incident. Moscow denied involvement.

Greece accused the Russian diplomats of activities inconsistent with their status, including illegal activities against national security, Kathimerini reported, adding that these had included attempts at bribery.

Asked about the report, Greek government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos told Skai TV: “The Greek government ... cannot tolerate behaviour which violates international law and which does not show respect to the Greek state.”

“It is our assessment that there has been such behaviour, and for that precise reason all necessary measures will be taken,” he added, without explicitly confirming the expulsions.

[Chris Werb]

Austria and Australia.

 

Georgia and Georgia.