Council of Europe resolution to foster minority rights, languages in Albania
 

9 May 2014 Albania should better define and improve its treatment of minorities, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe said. The council (CoE) adopted a resolution calling on Albania to implement the Framework Agreement for Protection of Minority Languages and provide education in these native tongues throughout the country. It stated a climate of respect and tolerance of ethnic minorities generally prevails in Albania -- including Greeks, Macedonians, Serbs, Montenegrins, Vlachs (Arumans) and Roma -- but there are significant shortcomings and no sufficient opportunities exist to learn their native languages. It noted this is the case of the Greek and Macedonian minorities beyond the areas where they are highly concentrated, and noted no education is provided in the Serbian, Montenegrin, Vlach (Aruman) or Roma languages. The Albanian government had allowed education in Macedonian in the Pustec municipality where Macedonians form a majority. CoE council of ministers' resolutions are legally binding for the council member states and their implementation is closely followed in countries subject to monitoring, as is the case with Albania, said Aleksandar Nikolovski, vice president of the monitoring commission of CoE's parliamentary assembly. "This right can be practiced beginning in September of this year with the start of the new school year. It concerns pupils of early age, primary school," Nikolovski told SETimes. Minority representatives in Albania welcomed CoE's engagement, but expressed doubt that the resolution will be implemented. "The problem here is lack of political will, not legislation," Edmond Temelko, mayor of Pustec, told SETimes. Temelko said 60 percent of the textbooks in Pustec should be in Macedonian to accommodate the minority population there, but only 10 percent of children learn in their native language and even that group lacks the required number of textbooks. The education ministry in Albania did not return calls from SETimes seeking comment. Temelko said one problem in fulfilling the resolution is the 2011 census, which he said undercounted minority populations. Minorities boycotted the census because the authorities did not allow the heading "ethnicity" on the census forms. Moreover, the resolution said there has been no progress in adopting legislation within the framework of implementing the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU, and called on Albania to take action to pass such legislation to clarify its policy toward minorities. "Problems should be addressed in a number of areas, such as the legal criteria required for recognition as a national minority, the institutional framework for addressing minority issues and structuring the dialogue with representatives of national minorities, the use of minority languages in relations with the administrative authorities and the use of minority languages for the display of traditional local names, street names and other topographical indications, in particular in areas inhabited by persons belonging to national minorities traditionally or in substantial numbers," it said. The intention of this and other similar resolutions by CoE is far-reaching, said Mirjana Malevska, a professor at the University of South-Eastern Europe in Tetovo. "It is to avoid discrimination against minorities, but also remove one important reason for ethnic conflicts," Malevska told SETimes.

9 May 2014

Albania; A failed state?

SManalysis



A new Federal division (between Bosnia and Swizerland), would give the new Constitutional Organization System of Albania

All western organizations, operating in Albania, OSCE, EU, USAID, PNUD, calling to Parliament of Albania, to change the constitution of the country

"Central administration but also local, can not operate in the service of Albanian citizens, while the new administrative division, gives full autonomy to the Federation Regions type"



Tirana. "Albania is risking bankruptcy as a state and country which is a member of NATO, but also to the European perspective, is stopping law-making initiatives and can not operate in the service of Albanian citizens, said today in Tirana, a meeting of Western Organizations operating in Albania. OSCE, EU, USAID, PNUD ecct, have urged the political parties of Albania, as soon undertake territorial reform , to change the Constitution of the Country, in democratic fashion, to raise the interest and the obligations of citizens, who have no alternative confidence in a country, highly centralized with major problems in the property reforms and security of its borders.

Deadline, is left in late July, when the Parliament of Albania, will vote with the majority, change the Constitution of the Country. According to USA and European experts, Albania has not solved a series of problems, which threaten the security of the country, but also the surrounding region, even though the country is a member of NATO .

On the other hand the possibility to enter Europe, should be conditional on several constitutional reforms, which will give, the perspective of the development of the country, based in New Division, Federal Administrative, which can be approximated between Switzerland and Bosnia, where each region who will be appointed by the ancient geopolitical names, will have its own government and parliament independently, by Tirana .

According to some sources, the creation of Federal Regions, will create conditions favorable for the unification of Kosovo with Albania Northern Region of which can be called Illyria. Others Regions would be called in Southern as "Caonia or Epirus", the famous name of the old state of Epirus.

According to Gallup polls, Kosovo and Albania, like two thirds of citizens to join to the "Greater Albania", for which on November 2012, celebrated together in Vlora, the 100th anniversary of the independence of Albania. but on the other hand, does not know how to act specifically on this "national unity", when Kosovo is proclaimed state and is still under Resolution 1244 of ONU.

Athens, meanwhile, opposed to NATO in a statement that day made by former Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha, "Albania starts from Preveza of Greece untill to Preshevo of Serbia", which was strongly created reactions from the EU and Washington.

However, Administrative Reform is the system which can guarantee the future developments in the regional border with other countries, as a strategic project of Western Alliance Engaging in Gross-border program of EU. 


 

Jailed Greek lawmakers granted special leave to address Parliament over Golden Dawn charges

Published May 07, 2014

Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece –  Two jailed Greek lawmakers granted special prison leave have appeared in Parliament to defend themselves against charges linked to the Nazi-inspired Golden Dawn party.
Golden Dawn lawmaker Georgios Germenis, and Efstathios Boukouras — whom the party expelled this year — both deny illegal firearms or ammunition possession.
Parliament will vote later Wednesday on whether to lift their immunity from prosecution on the charges.
Authorities launched a sweeping investigation into Golden Dawn after last year's murder of a left-wing musician, allegedly by a party supporter.
Party leader Nikos Michaloliakos, Germenis, Boukouras and another three of the 18 lawmakers elected on the Golden Dawn ticket are in jail pending trial for allegedly running a criminal organization, and immunity has already been lifted on those charges. All deny any wrongdoing.

Albania's Fertile Grounds For Oil Opportunities

By Frank Holmes |  Commodities  |  May 06, 2014 

Frank Holmes

• Articles (193)

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Texas is oil country. The state I now call home leads the nation in oil production and would be one of the top oil-producing nations if it were its own country. But that doesn’t stop us from exploring other promising oil opportunities further afield. I recently traveled I traveled to Albania to check out a drill site of Petromanas Energy, a Calgary-based international oil and gas company focused on exploration and production throughout Europe and Australia. We own the junior stock in our Global Resources Fund (PSPFX) and Emerging Europe Fund (EUROX).

To many, Albania is an unknown country yet it has a rich and interesting history. It declared independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, was conquered by Italy in 1939 and occupied by Germany in 1943. Albania allied itself with the USSR until 1960 and then with China until 1978.  Democratic development has progressed since the country’s first multiparty elections in 1991. The 2009 general elections resulted in the country’s first coalition government and the 2013 election saw a peaceful transition of power. A parliamentary democracy, the country has steadily been welcoming foreign direct investment (FDI) since it shifted away from communism in the early 90s. The recent FDI into the country comes on the back of the extensive development of its rich petroleum resources.

Third Time’s a Charm
This was my third trip to Albania. I last visited the country in 2004 when we were seed investors in another oil play there, Bankers Petroleum. Today Bankers’ Albanian discovery is the largest onshore oilfield in all of Europe. The company is now close to 40 percent of Albania’s FDI and is reinvesting all cash flow back into the country, about $300 million per year. Bankers has done an amazing job cleaning up the environmental disaster left behind by previous operators of the assets which Bankers is developing. Today the fields are green and sheep roam freely. Old and dirty early rigs have been replaced with new safer, cleaner technology.
So much has changed since my last visit.  The country is more prosperous and more verdant. Capital city Tirana’s infrastructure and roads have improved by a quantum leap in the past 10 years. Every morning I ran in Rinia Park, the large central public park, with Marin Katusa of Casey Research. We were impressed with the hundreds of locals jogging at 7 a.m.


Meeting A Man of Many Colors

On this visit I was honored to meet the Prime Minister of the country since 2013, Edi Rama, who also served as the mayor of Tirana from 2000 to 2011. He is a fascinating leader. Rama is a native of Tirana and, in addition to becoming involved with the first democratic movements in Albania, he is an artist and a former basketball player for the Albanian national team. He is, to a large degree, responsible for the vibrancy I saw in Tirana, his Clean and Green project resulting in nearly 100,000 square meters of green land and parks, and his creative efforts to use art and color helping to curb corruption and revive civic pride and responsibility.

You’d enjoy watching him explain this dramatic transformation in his TED talk Take Back Your City with Paint. Rama has helped form a stable political environment in Albania, just one reason Petromanas Energy has invested in drill sites here.

Fertile Ground for Oil and Gas

The company’s assets in Albania cover more than 1.1 million gross acres.  In the company’s presentation during our visit, management explained why Albania’s landscape is also key. Petromanas is exploring for large, deep, fractured carbonate structures of Eocene-Cretaceous age, similar to those in southern Italy which are the sites of several prolific oil fields.

Greek 10-Year Government Bond Yields Back to Pre-Crisis Levels

Located across the country’s Berati thrust belt, you can see the multiple wells in the map below: Papri, Shirag and Molisht. Petromanas is looking for a light oil deposit in these wells. Super major Royal Dutch Shell has invested $200 million to partner in these plays.

While at Petromanas properties, our group saw a few of these wells, but most notable was the visit to the Molisht-1 well that is currently being drilled. As Keith Schaefer points out in his recent Oil and Gas Investments Bulletin on the Albania trip, the Molisht-1 well has the potential to be an 8,000-10,000 barrels of oil production per day well, an absolute company maker. And according to Petromanas’ presentation, the Molisht-1 well could potentially hit earlier than expected, which would be a positive surprise for the company.

What do the founder of Lionsgate Entertainment and a former NATO Commander have in common?

Petromanas Energy is an example of a company that is currently in a strong area of the market and exhibits robust fundamentals. Its management, research and location are only a few reasons I see great potential for this organization. Escorting us on the research trip were two of the company’s directors, my good friend the legendary Canadian venture capitalist and philanthropist extraordinaire Frank Giustra, and General Wesley Clark, who as the former Supreme Allied Commander Europe, led the charge to stop Serbian forces from committing genocide in Kosovo. I’ve also had the privilege of working alongside these distinguished gentlemen with the International Crisis Group, a non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to preventing and resolving deadly conflict around the world.

The Path from War to Peace and Prosperity in 20 Years

Albanians and their Balkan neighbors have seen more than their share of conflict. The trigger for World War I was the assassination in Sarajevo of Archduke Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, by a Yugoslav nationalist in 1914. The Yugoslav Wars fought from 1991 to 1999 on the territory of former Yugoslavia have been described as Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II and the first since the Great War to be formally judged genocidal. It is estimated at least 130,000 lost their lives.  In the last of these ethnic conflicts, the Kosovo War, a million ethnic Albanians fled or were forcefully driven from Kosovo by Yugoslav troops. Under the command of General Clark, NATO forces bombed Serbian forces to prevent the continued displacement and persecution of the Albanian people.


Prime Minister Rama told us that he is profoundly grateful to the American people, President Clinton, and NATO for saving the lives of at least 900,000 Albanians and ushering in stability and positioning the region for progress. It was a case study in the successful use of force to bring peace to a region and a consequent drive for prosperity for its people. Our collective investment in this humanitarian success story is paying dividends for a new generation of Albanians. The country’s transition to a free market economy has been difficult and there are many economic challenges on the road ahead but the government believes in creating a path favorable for business. Companies such as Bankers Petroleum and Petromanas are helping Albania to develop its natural resources, improve its economy and create growth opportunities for investors who see the potential of this resilient country.

Disclaimer: Please consider carefully a fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. For this and other important information, obtain a fund prospectus by visiting www.usfunds.com or by calling 1-800-US-FUNDS (1-800-873-8637). Read it carefully before investing. Distributed by U.S. Global Brokerage, Inc.
Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Foreign and emerging market investing involves special risks such as currency fluctuation and less public disclosure, as well as economic and political risk. Because the Global Resources Fund concentrates its investments in a specific industry, the fund may be subject to greater risks and fluctuations than a portfolio representing a broader range of industries.
By investing in a specific geographic region, a regional fund’s returns and share price may be more volatile than those of a less concentrated portfolio. The Emerging Europe Fund invests more than 25% of its investments in companies principally engaged in the oil & gas or banking industries.  The risk of concentrating investments in this group of industries will make the fund more susceptible to risk in these industries than funds which do not concentrate their investments in an industry and may make the fund’s performance more volatile.
Fund portfolios are actively managed, and holdings may change daily. Holdings are reported as of the most recent quarter-end. Holdings in the Global Resources Fund as a percentage of net assets as of 3/31/14: Bankers Petroleum 0.00%, Petromanas Energy 0.05%, Royal Dutch Shell 0.00%. Holdings in the Emerging Europe Fund as a percentage of net assets as of 3/31/14: Bankers Petroleum 0.00%, Petromanas Energy 0.18%, Royal Dutch Shell 0.00%.
All opinions expressed and data provided are subject to change without notice. Some of these opinions may not be appropriate to every investor.

Ukraine crisis: Vladimir Putin ‘withdraws troops’ from border

Vladimir Putin states Russia has withdrawn its troops from the Ukrainian border in possible breakthrough

Vladimir Putin Photo: MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV /AFP

By Agencies

3:42PM BST 07 May 2014

159 Comments

President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow had pulled back its forces from the Ukrainian border amid Western fears of an imminent military invasion of Russia’s crisis-hit Western neighbour.

“We were told constantly about concerns over our troops near the Ukrainian border. We have pulled them back. Today they are not at the Ukrainian border but in places of regular exercises, at training grounds,” he said after meeting with Swiss president and current OSCE chief Didier Burkhalter.

In what appeared to be a breakthrough in the worst crisis between East and West since the Cold War, Mr Putin also called on pro-Moscow separatists in Ukraine to postpone a vote on secession just five days before it was to be held, potentially pulling Ukraine back from the brink of dismemberment.

It was the first sign the Kremlin leader has given that he would not endorse a referendum planned for Sunday by pro-Russian rebels seeking independence for two provinces with 6.5 million people and around a third of Ukraine's industrial output.

"We call on the representatives of southeastern Ukraine, the supporters of the federalisation of the country, to postpone the referendum planned for May 11," Putin said.

Putin calls for end to Kiev’s military op, postponing referendum in E. Ukraine

Published time: May 07, 2014 13:26
Edited time: May 07, 2014 16:17

Ukrainian right-wing groups are behind the recent events in the country, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, adding that Kiev has not disarmed them. He also called on anti-Kiev protesters to postpone a May 11 federalization referendum.
"Russia believes that the crisis, which originated in Ukraine and is now actively developing in accordance with the worst-case scenario, is to be blamed on those who organized the coup in Kiev on 22-23 February and still do not care to disarm the right-wing and nationalist elements," the president said.
Direct dialogue between Kiev and anti-government protesters in southeast Ukraine is key to ending the crisis, Putin said.
It is now essential to create “to create the necessary conditions for this dialogue,” he added.
This, however, would require rescheduling the referendum, which anti-government activists scheduled on May 11 to determine the fate of southeast Ukraine.

“We are calling for southeast Ukraine representatives, supporters of federalization of the country, to postpone the May 11 referendum to create the necessary conditions for dialogue,” Putin said at a press conference with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss President Didier Burkhalter in Moscow.
In response to Putin’s offer, one of the leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Denis Pushilin, said the possibility would be discussed Thursday.
“We respect Putin’s position. He is a balanced politician. So we will submit this proposal tomorrow to the people’s council,” he said.

'Russia withdraws troops from Ukrainian border'

President Vladimir Putin also said that Russia has withdrawn its troops from the Ukrainian border.

“We have been told that our troops on the Ukrainian border are a concern – we have withdrawn them. They are now not on Ukrainian territory, but at locations where they conduct regular drills at ranges,” he said.
Earlier, German Chancellor Angela Merkel suggested holding "roundtable discussions," a proposal that Moscow fully supports, Putin added.
Moscow and the OSCE agree substantially on the approach to resolving the situation in Ukraine, Putin said, adding that negotiations had made it clear.
“Moscow is interested in a swift resolution of the crisis in Ukraine, taking into consideration the interests of all people of the country,” he said.

OSCE drafting Ukraine roadmap

In the coming hours, OSCE will offer a “roadmap” on Ukraine, Burkhalter said.
“Our offer now is the following: literally in the next few hours we would like to offer a roadmap for the four signatories of the Geneva agreements," Burkhalter said, adding that the roadmap lays out “concrete steps” to resolve the Ukrainian crisis.
There are four major points, he said: "These are the ceasefire, the de-escalation of tensions, the dialogue and elections." Burkhalter added that the roadmap had been discussed earlier in Vienna.
It comes as a “more pragmatic” alternative to the so-called Geneva-2 peace talks on Ukraine, which Burkhalter said for now are not being planned to be held.
Burkhalter also believes that dialogue between Kiev and southeast Ukraine is a “realistic prospect.”
“As for the probability of a national dialogue in Ukraine, I think it's quite a realistic prospect, because only Ukrainian people need to be involved in determining their own destiny,” he said.
On behalf of OSCE, Burkhalter said that the organization is ready to take responsibility for coordination the “roadmap” and negotiations with the US and the EU will be taking place soon.

"Montenegro could become legitimate target"

Source: Beta

PODGORICA -- Russian State Duma Deputy Mikhail Degtyarev has threatened that Montenegro could be targeted by Russian missiles if that country joined NATO.

Podgorica-based website IN4S quoted the member of the nationalist Liberal Democrat Party as saying that Montenegro would make itself "a legitimate target of Russian missiles" if it became a member of NATO.
Degtyarev also described the position of Montenegro in relation to the Ukrainian crisis as "disgraceful." He was further quoted as saying that Russia should work with China to establish "a military-political alliance."

Montenegro was recently the target of very harsh statements coming from representatives of Russia.

Before the crisis in Ukraine flared up, Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Chepurin commented on Montenegro's orientation toward Euro-Atlantic integrations to remark that there were "monkeys in politics, like everywhere else."

Official Moscow was especially angered by the recent visit to Washington of Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Đukanović, where he sought the support for his country's NATO membership bid, and spoke in favor of the alliance's "boldly going into further expansion of the Euro-Atlantic zone of stability, especially in the Balkans."

Some political commentators in Montenegro described the Russian messages as "having some elements of the Cominform, when the former Soviet Union openly threatened even with military intervention against the former Yugoslavia."

Leader of Hungarian party assaulted in Budapest

Source: Beta, RTV

BUDAPEST -- Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (SVM) leader Istvan Pasztor was assaulted in Budapest on Monday, the provincial public broadcaster of Vojvodina RTV reported.

(Tanjug, file)

Pasztor, who heads the party representing ethnic Hungarians in Serbia that participates in the parliamentary majority, was in the neighboring country to attend the inaugural session of the parliament there.
According to reports, he was crossing a square in Budapest when Tamas Gaudi Nagy, a former Hungarian MP from the ranks of the extreme right-wing Jobbik party, noticed him, and called him "a traitor."

On this cue, demonstrators who were also gathered on the square approached Pastor and started cursing and pushing him. Hungarian websites HVG and Origo are reporting that some of the assailants spat at him.

The police came to the rescue of the SVM leader, and was forced to intervene, RTV is reporting.

Russia urges Ukraine to postpone presidential elections

By FT Reporters

©AFP

Relatives mourn the death of a Ukraine supporter in Odessa last week

Russia has called for a planned presidential elections at the end of the month in Ukraine to be postponed as the death toll from the crackdown on pro-Russian groups in the east of the country increased.
Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, said it would be “unusual” to hold a vote while the military was deployed against civilians. He also rejected the idea of holding another round of international talks on the crisis in Ukraine, saying it would be like “going round in circles” unless representatives of the pro-Russian group were also invited.

More video

Earlier on Tuesday Andriy Deshchytsia, Ukraine’s acting foreign minister, said he would only back further international talks aimed at de-escalating the growing tension in the country if Russia backed the presidential elections planned for later this month.

Mr Lavrov was speaking after Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany’s foreign minister, proposed a five-point plan to end the crisis, beginning with another conference in Geneva between Ukraine, Russia, the US and EU appeared in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.
Meanwhile, in an update on the operation to break up the control of pro-Russian groups in the east of Ukraine, the government in Kiev said 30 rebels had died in Monday’s operation and dozens more had been wounded. A further four government servicemen were killed in the operation centred on the pro-Russian stronghold of Slavyansk.

Oleksandr Turchynov, acting president, also named Lieutenant General Anatoliy Pushnyakov as the new head of the country’s ground forces following criticism over the weekend after 46 pro-Russian supporters were killed in a fire at a building in the southern port of Odessa.
François Hollande, French president, warned of the risk of civil war if Ukraine’s May 25 presidential election was postponed in an interview on French television.
“The Russians – [President] Vladimir Putin – don’t want this election to take place, to continue to keep up the pressure [on Kiev]. It’s up to us to convince him.”

In depth

Crisis in Ukraine

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin moved swiftly to annex Crimea, in the first land grab in Europe since the second world war, and the EU and US are worried over Moscow’s intentions elsewhere in Ukraine

Ukraine’s plans to hold nationwide presidential elections on May 25 have been thrown into confusion by the rebellion in the east in which pro-Russian groups have taken control of government buildings.
A referendum planned for May 11 to declare the Donetsk region – Ukraine’s industrial heartland – a sovereign republic has added to fears that Kiev is losing control of the east.
General Philip Breedlove, Nato’s senior commander, said earlier this week that he thought Mr Putin would not invade eastern Ukraine because he could achieve his aims though the disruptive tactics he was already employing there.
By Hugh Carnegy in Paris, Stefan Wagstyl in Berlin, Roman Olearchyk in Odessa, Courtney Weaver in Moscow and Guy Chazan in Donetsk

Ukraine crisis: Moldova on high alert as fighting intensifies

Ukrainian government says 30 pro-Russian rebels killed in Slovyansk

Lizzie Dearden

Tuesday 06 May 2014

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Moldova’s government has put its borders on alert as violence intensifies in Ukraine with the death of 30 pro-Russian militants in battles with the army.

The Ukrainian government claimed the rebels were killed by troops near Slovyansk in what it called an “anti-terror” operation against militias occupying parts of the eastern city.
Four government troops also died and another 20 were injured during gun battles, the Interior Minister, Arsen Avakov, said.
Troops created a security cordon around the city on Sunday and moved in on Monday in an apparent attempt to trap pro-Russian forces.
The intervention came days after rebels shot down two Ukrainian helicopters in the outskirts of Slovyansk and another was brought down on Monday.
It is one of several Ukrainian cities where pro-Russian separatists have seized official buildings and many fear violence will escalate as the government continues its military crackdown.
The country’s government put its borders on high alert on Monday, citing concerns about the escalating violence and deteriorating security situation in Ukraine.President Nicolae Timofti, Prime Minister Iurie Leanca and Parliament speaker Igor Coreman said in a joint statement that security forces had been ordered “to take all necessary actions to ensure public order inside the country.”
Moldova, a former part of the Soviet Union, is sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania.
Much of its 750-mile border with Ukraine is controlled by pro-Russian groups and there are 1,500 Russian troops stationed in a separatist republic of Trans-Dniester, which recently asked to be united with Russia.
The Russian government has said it respects Moldova's territorial integrity in the past but leaders are concerned about unrest in Trans-Dniester.
William Hague, the Foreign Minister, held talks with Moldovan authorities on Monday, and said the country should move forward with talks on closer ties to the European Union without being seen as a threat to Russia.
He said Britain is “strongly opposed to any external pressure or any violations of sovereignty and territorial integrity".
After the annexation of the Crimean peninsula by Russia, fears of the loss of more territories have grown.
Kiev authorities announced they were firing the acting governor in Odessa and replacing him with member of parliament, Ihor Palytsya. Odessa's police chief was also removed over the weekend.
The move in the predominantly Russian-speaking region came after 46 people died on Friday, many in a building fire, after a pro-Ukraine march descended into violent riots.
There are concerns that Odessa could be the next region to fall to pro-Russia forces - particularly after 67 people detained in Friday's rioting were released by police on Sunday under pressure from an angry crowd.
The central government attempted to boost confidence by sending in an elite national guard unit, which could be seen patrolling the streets.
In eastern Ukraine, Donetsk airport, south of Slovyansk, was closed on Tuesday but reopened later in the day.
In the afternoon, about 30 pro-Russia militants armed with automatic rifles and grenade launchers surrounded an Interior Ministry base in the region, demanding that the troops inside not join any government operations against pro-Russia forces.
While it was unclear whether they would attack, besieging a government forces base marked a new offensive by the militants, who had previously focused on seizing police stations and government buildings.
Russia has blamed the interim Ukrainian government for the unrest.
During a meeting in Vienna with the Council of Europe on Tuesday, the Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov demanded that the Ukrainian government end its armed assaults on rebel strongholds.
He said he was open to another round of international talks to ease the crisis, but only if pro-Russia rebels were included.
“Those who protest ... want their voices heard,” he told reporters. “They want to have an equal voice when it comes to deciding the fate of their own country.”
His Ukrainian counterpart rejected the proposal, saying the Kiev government already represents all the people of Ukraine.
Additional reporting by PA and AP

New subs, warships, SAMs, troops to be deployed in Crimea

Published time: May 06, 2014 09:21

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Russia's Large Landing Ship "Azov" (C) is pictured moored at the home base of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean port of Sevastopol (Reuters)

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Military, NATO, Russia

The Russian Defense Ministry is planning to deploy additional forces in Crimea as part of beefing up the Black Sea fleet under a $2.5 billion program. The need for new deployment emerged after the formerly Ukrainian peninsula joined Russia.
“Before year’s end we will form new units of air defense and marine troops at the sites of our fleet’s deployment,” Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said Tuesday. “The fleet will receive new submarines and surface ships of new generation this year. This requires our attention.”
The minister stressed that the Navy beef-up program for the Black Sea fleet was extended due to Crimea, the fleet’s base, becoming part of Russia in March. The ministry plans to spend more than $2.4 billion for the purpose by 2020.
The announcement of deployment plans comes after Russia voiced concerns of the build-up of NATO forces in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea. The alliance deployed aircraft and warships as well as ground troops, saying it was needed to instill confidence in its members like Poland, Romania and the Baltic states.
NATO’s moves come in response to the ongoing political crisis in Ukraine and the allegations that Russia is preparing to invade its eastern neighbor. Moscow sees the military build-up close to its borders as provocative.

Ukraine moves special forces to Odessa, helicopter downed in east

By Aleksandar Vasovic and Maria Tsvetkova

ODESSA/SLAVIANSK, Ukraine Mon May 5, 2014 2:21pm EDT

1 of 9. Police stand guard inside a regional government building at the Black Sea port of Odessa May 5, 2014.

Credit: Reuters/Gleb Garanich

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(Reuters) - Pro-Russian rebels shot down a Ukrainian helicopter in fierce fighting near the eastern town of Slaviansk on Monday, and Kiev drafted police special forces to the southwestern port city of Odessa to halt a feared westward spread of rebellion.
Ukraine said the Odessa force, based on "civil activists", would replace local police who had failed to tackle rebel actions at the weekend. Its dispatch was a clear signal from Kiev that, while tackling rebellion in the east, it would vigorously resist any sign of a slide to a broader civil war.
Odessa, with its ethnic mix from Russians to Ukrainians, Georgians to Tatars a cultural contrast to the pro-Russian east, was quiet on Monday. Ukrainian flags flew at half mast for funerals of some of the dozens killed in clashes on Friday.

 

 

 

But in the east, fighting intensified around the pro-Russian stronghold of Slaviansk, a city of 118,000, where rebel fighters ambushed Ukrainian forces early in the day.
The Interior Ministry said five paramilitary police were killed. Separatists said four of their number had also died.
The sound of an air-raid siren could be heard in the center of Slaviansk, and a church bell rang in the main square.
Russia's foreign ministry called on Kiev to "stop the bloodshed, withdraw forces and finally sit down at the negotiating table". It also published an 80-page report detailing "widespread and gross human rights violations" in Ukraine over the past six months for which it blamed the new government and its Western allies.
CONCERNS FOR KIEV
Russia denies Ukrainian and Western charges it is seeking to undermine the country of 45 million and using special forces to lead the insurgency, as it did before annexing Crimea in March.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he feared neither side could now control forces unleashed.
"I'm convinced we are struggling against a situation that has taken on a dynamic of its own. There are groups in eastern Ukraine that are not listening to either Kiev ... or Moscow."
The self-declared pro-Russian mayor of Slaviansk Vyacheslav Ponomarev told Reuters by telephone: "(The Ukrainians) are deploying ever more forces here. Recently there was a parachute drop... For us, they are not military, but fascists."
Ukraine's Defence Ministry said rebels had shot down a military helicopter, the fourth since Friday, with heavy machine gun fire. The helicopter crashed into a river and the crew was rescued but there were no details of their condition.
Diana, 15, who lives near Slaviansk in a single-storey house at the strategic junction of the road between Kharkiv and Rostov, said she saw Ukrainian tanks fire on rebel cars. A fuel tank at a petrol station exploded and fighters fired at houses.
"My father was injured in the head by glass splinters. It's terrifying. There's just nowhere to live now. Everything is broken, our television, our computer; they shot at our car."
The violence in Odessa marked a watershed for Ukraine.
It increased fears that trouble could spread to the capital in the approach to Friday's celebrations of the Soviet victory in World War Two, an event that could kindle tensions over Kiev's relations with its former communist masters in Moscow.
Over 40 people were killed in Friday's clashes, the worst since pro-Moscow president Viktor Yanukovich fled to Moscow in February amid protests by Ukrainians demanding closer ties to Europe. Most were pro-Russians killed when the building they occupied was set ablaze by petrol bombs.
It is not clear who started the fire, but Moscow accuses Kiev of inciting violence.
On Sunday, hundreds besieged a police station where fellow pro-Moscow activists were held after street fighting that led up to the house blaze. Police freed 67 of them, infuriating Kiev.
"The police in Odessa acted outrageously," Interior Minister Arseny Avakov wrote on his Facebook page. "The 'honour of the uniform' will offer no cover."
He said he had sent the newly formed Kiev-1 force to Odessa after sacking the entire Odessa force leadership.
The units Avakov referred to emerged partly from the uprising against Yanukovich early this year.
That could fuel anger among the government's opponents, who accuse it of promoting "fascist" militant groups, such as Right Sector, that took part in the Kiev uprising over the winter.
Alexander, a man in his mid-20s who said he took part in the anti-Kiev actions, agreed with Avakov that police had done nothing.
"But this special new battalion, they're stormtroopers from Western Ukraine who'll be hunting our people all over the city."

Ukraine crisis 'threatens peace in Europe', says Russia

Moscow warns that escalating unrest threatens European peace as 'several' deaths reported on fringes of rebel-held town of Slavyansk in eastern Ukraine

A Ukrainian army checkpoint at Kharkov-Rostov highway section between Slavyansk and Kramatorsk Photo: Pochuyev Mikhail/ Corbis

By Andrew Marszal, and agencies

11:22AM BST 05 May 2014

The crisis in Ukraine threatens peace across Europe, Russia warned on Monday as several deaths were reported in the country's east where Kiev forces are attempting to seize back control of the town of Slavyansk.

In a report put out by Russia's foreign ministry, the Kremlin called upon the international community to bring an end to the Ukrainian conflict, blaming the violence on "ultranationalist, extremist and neo-Nazi" forces.

"The alternative is fraught with such destructive consequences for Europe's peace, stability and democratic development that it is absolutely necessary to prevent it," said the report.

The warning came as several deaths were reported on the fringes of Slavyansk, the town in Ukraine's east which has been the epicentre of recent unrest.

"There have been deaths," said Arsen Avakov, Ukraine's interior minister, speaking to reporters at a checkpoint held by troops six four miles from the gun battle, which had gone on for nearly two hours.

He did not immediately say which side suffered the losses.
After two false starts, the Ukrainian army has begun an offensive designed to restore Kiev’s control over Donetsk, where pro-Russia militias have seized government buildings in several cities.
^{Pro-Russian militants stand guard in front of a seized district state building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk (Alexander Khudoteply/ Getty)}
Pro-Russia insurgents have achieved complete control over the town of Slavyansk, located near large arms dumps dating from the Soviet era that contain as many as 2.5 million Kalashnikov assault rifles.
However, on Sunday the Ukrainian authorities said they had Slavyansk "surrounded".
At least two separatist armoured personnel carriers and several rebels were reported to have fled heavy fighting on the eastern outskirts of Slavyansk early on Monday.
Reuters reported that heavy gunfire could be heard "almost continuously" and "seemed closer to the centre of Slavyansk than a day earlier". Four ambulances were seen near the area, the agency said.
Russia's most recent warning, as well as the escalation in conflict around Slavyansk, will heighten international concerns over a potential Russian response to Kiev's intervention.
Russia is believed to have massed between 35,000 and 40,000 troops on Ukraine’s eastern frontier, stockpiling enough fuel, ammunition and medical supplies – including a chain of field hospitals – for this army to be able to mount an invasion within 12 hours of receiving the order.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday that Russia had not yet decided how to respond to the Ukrainian government's most recent military campaign.
“This element is absolutely new to us,” said Mr Peskov, according to the Interfax news agency. “Kiev and its Western sponsors are practically provoking the bloodshed and bear direct responsibility for it.”
Also on Monday, it was announced that Ukraine premier Arseniy Yatsenyuk and his government will hold talks in Brussels on May 13 with the 28-member European Commission.
"The European Commission is determined to help Ukraine, and to make sure that Ukraine has all the support it needs, in the short and long- term," the Commission said in a statement.

Military students in the USA
05/05/2014

The United States ambassador to Tirana, Alexander Arvizu, honored the Martyrs’ Day in Albania with the military students who will travel for training at the New Jersey Guard.

He asked the Albanian students to do the best for their country by quoting an expression of President Wilson.

“President Wilson, a friend of the Albanian people, declared that you are not here to make a lviing, but to make it possible for the world to live in a bigger vision, and with a more excellent spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world. President Wilson spoke about a dedication bigger than one’s self, that of self-denial and service and hope for a better future. This is dedicated to those who gave their lives for freedom, and in Albania this is celebrated as the Day of Martyrs. While the initial goal of this day was to hnor Qemal Stafa and all the martyrs that gave their lives during WWII, the list of martyrs in Albania has grown with the service of your country as a NATO ally in Afghanistan”, declared Ambassador Arvizu.

General Jeronim Bazo and the Minister of Defense, Mimi Kodheli, expressed their trust on the success of these students, and reminded them how important this training is for the future of the Armed Forces.

“It is the first time that this is being used for this event. I would say that this is unique for the United States of America, the New Jersey Guard, to support this program for the first time. But it is unique even for us, the Armed Forces of the Albanian Republic and the Minister of Defense, which for the first time sends a big group of officers to be prepared in this level”, Bazo declared.

“The special thing of this group is the presence of women. This is very encouraging. I want to congratulate everyone for what you have achieved so far. I want to wish you success in the second phase, which I believe you will start very soon. You must do your best, so that you can benefit as much as possible from this program, and for putting into service of your country the knowledge that you will receive in the United States”, declared Minister Mimi Kodheli.

The United States Ambassador declared that the group of Albanian students will be called “Black Eagles 1”.

Greek Ambassador: Status for Albania, within June
05/05/2014

The Greek Ambassador, Leonidas Rokanas, visited the Greek minorities in Dropull and Pogon, Gjirokaster, where he met with local leaders and expressed the readiness of Greece for further exchange in tourism, culture and the academic sector.

As for the issue of toponyms on Albanian passports, Rokanas declared that he found enough good will among the Albanian authorities to find a solution.

“We have excellent relations. The visits of high level and the dialogue on several issues, including that of the toponyms, makes us optimistic that there is good will to find a solution. Our people share a friendship and historic relations that is represented in the daily issues. The Albanian community in Greece and the Greek community in Albania are cooperation bridges”, Rokanas declared.

As for the candidate status this June, Rokanas declared that he hopes it will happen during the Greek presidency, since Albania is on the right track.

“We believe that Albania has made several efforts for the status. It will be one of the priorities for Greece, which holds the Presidency. There is still much to do until June, but Albania has several frinds. The government has shown the right predispositions for this membership. The progress and efforts makes us more optimistic for the decision”, Rokanas declared.

During his visit in Gjirokaster, Rokanas met with academic representatives from the “Eqrem Cabej” university, where they noted the achievements and discussed about future projcets.

Turkey And Albania Establish Dynamic Agenda For Bilateral Relations

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By Peter Tase May 2nd, 2014

On April 18-19, 2014, Mr. Ditmir Bushati, Albanian Foreign Minister, conducted his first official visit to the Republic of Turkey.
Mr. Bushati’s arrival to Ankara is the continuation of an extensive dialogue and bilateral cooperation between both nations which has gained a new momentum with the official visit to Albania by Turkish Foreign Minister, Prof. Ahmet Davutoğlu, on October 4-5, 2013, as well as the first official visit to Ankara of the Hon. Mimi Kodheli, Albanian Defense Minister, on April 18th, 2014. Immediately after the leader of Albanian Socialist Party, Edi Rama became a Prime Minister, in September 2013, after the general elections of June 23rd, 2013; Albania’s strategic relations with Turkey were given a special priority and became highly important.
According to Prime Minister Rama, Turkey is considered a strategic partner in Albania’s Foreign Policy Strategy and his government aims to further strengthen the bilateral cooperation with Ankara, especially in the economic and commercial partnership. Under this framework, in February 2014, was held in Tirana the Albania-Turkey Economic and Trade Forum. In his statement Mr. Rama emphasized that Turkish investors will very soon experience a tremendous reduction of bureaucracy and friendly policies towards the opening of their businesses in Albania.
He added: “We consider you as ambassadors and promoters of our country in the world.”[1] Turkey is the second largest trading partner of Albania and its daily consumption products, merchandises and commodities are always present in Albania’s markers. Some of the largest Turkish companies, with a focus in areas such as construction, telecommunications, transportation and education are: ENKA, Gintaş, Armada, Metal Yapı, Aldemir, Servomatik, Çalık Holding/Türk Telekom, Makro-Tel/Hes Kablo, Albanian Airlines (Evsen Group), Gülistan Foundation, Istanbul Foundation, Epoka University.
In his visit to Ankara, Mr. Bushati had a lengthy conversation with his counterpart, Prof. Dr. Davutoğlu, and particularly addressed the strong bilateral economic relations, international and regional security issues, and most importantly, Tirana’s aspirations to establish a bilateral “High Level Partnership and Cooperation Council”between Tirana and Ankara.
In their joint press conference, Foreign Minister Davutoğlu said that the two countries have agreed to establish the “High Level Partnership and Cooperation Council” and this bilateral body will be meeting in the weeks ahead, to discuss pending items of the mutually beneficial agenda. Turkish investments in Albania have increased by US$ 2 billion and the bilateral trade volume has reached more than US$1 billion, from US$400 million, only five years ago.
Another item in the discussions were the potential venues of strengthening the cooperation between the two ministries, while placing a special importance to Albania’s EU integration and membership status.
According to Minister Davutoğlu, the Turkish Diplomatic Chief: “We together endeavor for our common goals, will continue to work together, at the highest level in international organizations as well. We agreed to establish the Turkey-Albania High Level Cooperation Council” [2]
In this occasion, the two counterparts signed an agreement and Memorandum of Understanding focused in the bilateral Cooperation of Information Technologies.
Foreign Minister Davutoğlu, visited Albania on October, 2013; he met with Prime Minister Edi Rama, and Foreign Minister Bushati. During his visit, Turkish Foreign Minister initiated the dialogue to establish the High Level Strategic Cooperation Mechanisms, that would be highly beneficial to both countries’ economies, trade and bilateral political dialogue.
Albania and Turkey, have maintained a close partnership within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP) as well as have been working closely in Peace Keeping operations in Afghanistan, Bosnia Hercegovina and other hot spots in the world. This year, Tirana will assume the chairmanship of SEECP and under its leadership the strategic role of Turkey and its contributions will further be solidified in the Balkans.
In Tirana, Foreign Minister Davutoğlu met with President of Albania, Mr. Bujar Nishani, Mr. Edi Rama, and Mr. Ilir Meta, the Speaker of Albanian Parliament.
Bilateral relations between Albania and Turkey, are characterized by a strong sense of cooperation, friendship, mutually beneficial regional stability and stronger commercial and economic ties.
Over the last three years there have been multiple official visits undertaken by top Albanian government officials to Ankara as well as the government of Prime Minister Erdogan has kept a keen interest towards Albania. In October, 2011, Mr. Bamir Topi, Albania’s president, led an official visit to Ankara, which was a very productive and set the tone for a closer cooperation between both countries.
Mr. Topi’s visit was followed by Dr. Sali Berisha, Albanian Prime Minister’s visit to Turkey in April 2012 and Mr. Cemil Çiçek, Turkish Assembly Speaker to Tirana in June 2012. Additionally, in October 2012, Albanian Foreign Minister, H.E. Edmond Panariti visited Ankara, and gave a keynote address in the International Conference entitled “From Balkan Wars to Balkan Peace” co-organized by the Center for Strategic Research of Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Panariti held fruitful talks with H.E. Foreign Minister Davutoğlu and other high level officials of the Turkish government.
Another important variable in Albania-Turkey strong bilateral cooperation is the high number of Turkish citizens of Albanian origin living in Turkey and the attendance of Albanian students and professionals who have decided to reside and work in Turkey. There has historically been a significant bondage between Albania and Turkey, even the Albanian language has been influenced over many centuries by the Turkish language. Currently, there are more than three thousand common words in Albanian and Turkish languages, that are used daily in both nations. [3]
Another important aspect is the cooperation in the areas of national defense training, and technological equipment. Albania depends heavily on Turkish forces’ assistance in training and supply of cutting edge defense technology as well as the reconstruction of Albania’s military bases and their maintenance.
Over the last twenty years, Turkish military personnel, from various branches: infantry, land, naval and Air Force bases have trained Albanian Armed Forces, provided technological equipments and helped rebuild its military infrastructure. Albanian soldiers assigned to Afghanistan under the NATO mandate, are serving within the Turkish command deployed in Kabul.

Odessa police release 67 anti-govt activists after crowd surrounds police HQ

Published time: May 04, 2014 14:08
Edited time: May 04, 2014 17:02

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Participants of a rally welcome a man (C) who was just released from a city police department and who was earlier arrested after recent street battles between pro- and anti-Kiev protesters in the Black Sea port of Odessa May 4, 2014. (Reuters/Gleb Garanich)

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Sixty-seven anti-government activists detained by police in the south Ukrainian city of Odessa have been released after a crowd of locals blocked the Interior Ministry building. Those released reportedly included survivors from the deadly May-2 fire.
A crowd of Odessa residents, which included many women and elderly people as seen on live video streams from the scene, cheered and hugged the released activists.
RT’s Irina Galushko reported that despite being set free, the activists did not have the charges against them dropped and were asked “to come back tomorrow for their belongings.”
According to Galushko, riot police present at the scene were standing idly by, while the people chanted "Heroes!" and "Freedom!"
The release of just several activists did not, however, appease the crowd. Some of the protesters attempted to get inside the building, shouting "Fascists! Fascists!"
Eventually, 67 activists have been released, Odessa police department’s press service has said. More than 1,000 people were blockading the police department at the time of the statement, according to Itar-Tass. Part of the crowd had broken down the entrance gate and gained access to the building’s courtyard.
Around 100 people rallying in central Odessa on Sunday initially blocked the local Interior Ministry department in protest against the detention of anti-government activists following the tragic events of Friday, May 2. The protesters have been trying to prevent the police from sending the detained, which reportedly include dozens of survivors of the Trade Union House fire, to the regional court building.

Oligarchs protect massive buildings in Himara Region with Private Police

Photo: Police Private from Tirana, during confrontation with the Orthodox Community in Permeti



Drymades: Cars of Private Police, moving to the national road, armed being frightened the residents

The State Police, is in support of oligarchs constructions, but does not want to confront with the population, which is looking like them as"fascist invaders"

Fear of any organized attack by residents, has added private armed policemen, mostly coming from Tirana

Drymades, Himara Region. In parallel with the approval of the government Rama, the construction of tourist villages, there is a qualitative increase of the private police forces, which move during national road, but also in the places where oligarchs undergoing construction.

The situation is in tense, as much as people say that these buildings will not be allowed, although the Government Rama and the Himara Municipality belonging to the Socialist Party in power, the residents say they would either be canceled or will break away from the legitimate owners and the people of Himara.

Meanwhile the Albanian State Police, stands as a neutral, not interfering in any confrontation, but by supporting of the construction oligarchs, their police,which  are licensed by the Albanian Government.

According to sources inhabitants resident, spread of the phenomenon of private guards armed with Kalashnikovs, clearly points to a confrontation that can occur between local residents and police private mercenaries, whose properties are taken to the falls decisions of the Albanian Courts.

The Pan Himarioton Conference held in 2005 in Tirana, an NGO financed by the USA, has decided unanimously to stop the cosntructions of the Tourist Villages and other massive buildings, which represents oligarchs, that build tourist oasis, in contrast to the projects for the preservation of World Heritage area of the Himara Region.