NATO sees increased Russian presence in the Western Balkans

“We have seen some increased Russian presence in the Western Balkans. We will not counter Russian propaganda with propaganda. We will counter it with an open, free debate because we believe that facts and the truth in the long run will prevail,“ said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and added that reform, modernizing security institutions, governments would increase the resilience of the countries in the Western Balkans. As an example he cited Montenegro but stated that elsewhere in the region progress had faltered.

Ankara mediates in negotiations between Moscow and Syrian opposition

“Ankara is doing “everything possible” to facilitate negotiations between Moscow and Syrian opposition groups to halt the bloodshed in Aleppo,” Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said. In an interview for the Russian Interfax he stated that if any consensus reached was turned into a signed document then that would be to everyone's benefit. At the end of November, France Presse reported that Russian officials had already met with Syrian rebels in Turkey, with Ankara playing the role of mediator in the negotiations on a possible ceasefire.

Macedonia holds early elections on Sunday

Early parliamentary elections are scheduled in Macedonia for Sunday, 11 December as a result of mediation by the EU and USA. The results of these elections will be an indication whether the political situation in the country is stable. The mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has reported of numerous instances of civil servants being pressured into voting for given political formations. At the same time the election campaigning is going ahead in a calm atmosphere. According to an analysis by the International Republican Institute, the results of the ruling VMRO-DPMNE and its coalition partner the Democratic Union for Integration may be affected and brought down by the considerable percentage of as yet undecided voters.

New Hungarian police contingent along Serbia-Bulgaria border

A new contingent of 20 Hungarian police arrived in Serbia and was immediately dispatched to the Serbia-Bulgaria border to assist the mixed military-police patrols guarding the border between the two countries against illegal migration. This is the third Hungarian contingent with such a mission. 15,000 migrants attempting to cross over from Bulgaria to Serbia illegally have been returned to this country since the mixed patrols were set up on 22 July.

Thousands of ISIS fighters return to Bosnia

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said in Dubrovnik that people should face the fact that there are thousands of fighters of the so-called Islamic State who are returning to Bosnia and Herzegovina and that this is not something that should be underestimated, adding that “influence of other countries” in Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot be ignored. Croatia has a shared border with Bosnia and Herzegovina that is 1,100 kilometers long, she said, adding “we have an obligation as one of the signatories of the Dayton Agreement.” The Dayton Peace Agreement put an end to three years of war in the country (1992-1995).

Compiled by Stoimen Pavlov

English version: Milena Daynova