Diplomatic Diary: Turkey vows support for Afghanistan
16/06/2009
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu visited Kabul. Also in diplomatic news: Sweden urges fast visa-free regulations for western Balkan countries.
 Afghanistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Rangin Dadfar Spanta (right) and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu hold a joint press conference in Kabul on Saturday (June 13th). [Getty Images] |
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu wrapped up a visit to Afghanistan on Saturday (June 13th). Davutoglu met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta. During the meetings, Davutoglu vowed Turkey's support for the nation. Turkey has around 730 soldiers in the NATO-led military force.
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Serbian President Boris Tadic accepted the credentials of Macedonia's new Ambassador Ljubisa Georgievski on Friday (June 12th). Last October, Serbia expelled Georgievski's predecessor, Alexander Vasilevski, following Skopje's recognition of Kosovo's independence.
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Sweden wants to see quick EU integration of the Western Balkan countries, including Albania, local media reported on Thursday (June 11th). Presenting the objectives of the Swedish government which is taking over the EU's rotating presidency on July 1st, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeld said that his cabinet will continue to be the best advocate of quick integration of the Balkans into the European block.
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Albanian President Bamir Topi on Thursday (June 11th) urged all political parties to include justice reform in their election campaigns. He made the statement during a visit to the High Court of Justice, which is tasked with guaranteeing free and fair elections. General elections in Albania are scheduled for June 28th.
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Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis was in Oslo on Wednesday (June 10th), where she met with her Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store. The two discussed illegal migration and the upcoming ministerial summits on the Greek island of Corfu at the end of the month: The NATO-Russia foreign ministers' summit, and the OSCE ministerial summit under the Greek OSCE chairmanship.
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Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin launched a two-day visit to Luxembourg on Monday (June 15th), where he will take part in the work of EU General Affairs and External Relations Council. Liberalisation of the visa regime in the western Balkans is expected to be the main focus of the meetings.
(Various sources -- 09/06/09-16/06/09)
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