Balkan press review
In the news: Balkans, the double discourse that discredits the West
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama arrive to hold a news conference in Tirana, Albania, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. AP - Armando Babani
By: Courrier des Balkans Follow | Marion Roussey
Advertisement
Read more
On February 15, 2024, Edi Rama pulled out all the stops to welcome the American Secretary of State, whose immense portrait hung on the facade of the University of Tirana. During the eight hours spent in Albania, Antony Blinken did not meet any opposition representatives.
Analysis
.
They call for democracy and the rule of law, but support corrupt autocrats in the Balkans, from Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić to Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama. When the latter proposes to “
rid
” Italy of its asylum seekers, the European right applauds while the left feigns surprise. For analyst Fatos Lubonja, Western countries are not naive, but act according to their current interests.
Vitriolic criticism
.
This year again, the Italian extreme right wanted to give a special shine to “Remembrance Day”, which commemorates the victims of the violence committed by the Yugoslav partisans at the end of the Second World War and the exodus of Italians from Istria and Dalmatia. For this, the Italian government did not hesitate to impose on mayors and provincial school directors a
revisionist dogma
as official history.
Gaza: Slovenia in solidarity with Palestine
Regular demonstrations in the streets of Ljubljana or Maribor, petitions, calls for a ceasefire and to support South Africa's complaint against Israel: in Slovenia, civil society
is mobilizing for Gaza and Palestine
.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, representatives of the Jewish and Muslim communities launched an appeal from Srebrenica, on the occasion of the world day in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. Their wish: to end the war in Gaza so that civilians do not pay the price.
Cross interview
.
Also readIs Egypt preparing to welcome refugees from Gaza in the event of an offensive against Rafah?
Elections in Serbia: European Parliament calls for international investigation
In response to the political crisis tearing Serbia apart and while the opposition considers the legislative elections of December 2023 as fraudulent, the European Parliament voted in favor of an international investigation, citing a freezing of European funds intended for Belgrade. What can Serbia expect?
Interview with three MEPs
.
In Kosovo, the ban on the Serbian dinar raises tensions. The government in Pristina also banned Serbian “
parallel institutions
” in three municipalities in the northwest of the country, where only a few hundred Serbs now live. On February 2, the police launched a vast operation. The inhabitants of the enclaves feel harassed. Explanations
from Darko Dimitrijević
, director of Radio Goraždevac.
Marriage for all in Greece
On February 15, Greece became the
first Orthodox Christian country
to legalize same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex parents. A significant step forward for this country where the weight of the Orthodox Church and the traditional family remains significant.
Attacks on the press, illegal wiretapping, failing justice, violence against refugees... The European Parliament is concerned about the threats against the rule of law in Greece. The resolution adopted on February 7, 2024 is a snub for the conservative government of Kyriákos Mitsotákis.
Analysis
.
Also listen: Italy: the government increases pressure on homosexual couples
Bosnia and Herzegovina: the strange disappearance of the Vlašić spruces
Thousands of spruce trees are drying out on the Vlašić mountain in central Bosnia and Herzegovina. For experts, climate change and the presence of insect pests are not the only culprits. A decision taken a century ago by the Kingdom of Yugoslavia is believed to be the cause of this disaster.
Investigation
.
On February 8, 1984, snow-covered Sarajevo hosted the Winter Olympics. The capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina has pulled out all the stops to provide the best possible welcome to foreign athletes and tourists. Forty years later, this episode remains for many a moment of grace in the history of Yugoslavia. Its peak, but also the beginning of its decline, before the war broke out.
Narrative
.
In February 2014, Bosnia and Herzegovina was shaken by social protests on an unprecedented scale, triggered by widespread discontent with the economic, political and social situation in the country. Ten years later, what remains?
Reporting
.
In Kosovo, while more and more young people are taking the road to exile, many elderly people live alone in Kosovo. A sociological revolution in a country where several generations traditionally lived under the same roof.
Reporting
.
Also listen to Kosovo: the euro, a subject of tension between Belgrade and Pristina
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your inbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
Share :
Continue reading on the same themes:
Serbia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Newspaper
Balkans
Greece
Slovenia
Albania
Diplomacy
Kosovo