![](/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/region-europe.jpg)
Latest Articles about Balkans
![](/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Kremlin-sept-2023-640x411.jpg)
Radical ‘Diplomacy’ Harms Moscow’s Allies
Russian President Vladimir Putin has struggled to maintain control over religious radicals and other aggressive advocates of his war against Ukraine, though his political ideology and worldview do not significantly differ from their own (see EDM, August 17). Conversely, these same radicals, recognizing the Kremlin’s... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Erdogan-Sept-2023-640x427.jpg)
Putin-Erdogan Meeting Shows Turkey Unfit to Mediate Between Russia and Ukraine (Part Two)
*Read Part One. The Kremlin offered Turkey several major, highly attractive business projects at the bilateral summit in Sochi on September 4. These would further increase Turkey’s reliance on Russia in key economic sectors and on Russian-generated revenues (see Part One). By the same token, it... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Erdogan-and-Putin-640x360.jpeg)
Putin-Erdogan Meeting Shows Turkey Unfit to Mediate Between Russia and Ukraine (Part One)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sternly rebuffed his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyp Erdogan’s ambitions to play peacemaker in the Russo-Ukrainian war and partially ease Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian grain exports. Receiving Erdogan in Sochi on September 4, Putin made clear that he had no use... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/818-Azer-640x399.jpeg)
Azerbaijan Bolsters Cooperation With Balkan Countries
On July 6, Albanian President Bayram Begai visited Azerbaijan and engaged in discussions with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev on bilateral political relations, joint activities in international organizations, trade, economic matters and investment opportunities (Kaspi.az; Report.az, July 8). These talks underlined Baku’s increased attention to... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Russian-Black-Sea-Fleet-August-2023-1-640x360.jpg)
Russian Black Sea Fleet Intrudes Bulgarian Waters, Harasses Turkish Grain Freighter
On August 13, a warship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet executed a board-and-search operation of a Turkish freighter that was passing through Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) en route to Ukraine to load grain. The Russian crew fired warning shots from automatic weapons to intimidate... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Russian-Black-Sea-Fleet-640x360.jpg)
Ukrainian Trade Blockade: Foretaste of Russian Hegemony in Black Sea (Part Three)
*Read Part One. *Read Part Two. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) summit in Vilnius on July 11 and 12 upgraded the old NATO-Ukraine Commission to a NATO-Ukraine Council, which allows Ukraine to call for consultations during crisis situations (see EDM, July 13, 17, 19).... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/1510089041_0_160_3071_1887_1280x0_80_0_0_430b3167107afc0c935035fc41ba17a8.jpg-640x360.webp)
Ukrainian Trade Blockade: Foretaste of Russian Hegemony in the Black Sea (Part One)
On July 17, Russia unilaterally suspended the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative (“grain deal”), the year-old arrangement that has allowed Ukraine to export grain—albeit under Russian-imposed conditions—from the three ports in and near Odesa. The Kremlin and its navy had (until now) only... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/NATO-ships-in-Black-Sea-July-2023-640x427.jpg)
NATO’s 2023 Summit: Modest Expectations, Modest Results (Part Three)
*Read Part One. *Read Part Two. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has conclusively won the Baltic Sea; however, it risks losing the Black Sea in terms of naval posturing and discretionary air access. NATO’s summit, on July 11 and 12 in Vilnius, marked the... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/President-of-the-Republic-of-Azerbaijan-1-640x324.jpeg)
Burgeoning Azerbaijani-NATO Relations
“Azerbaijan has proven to be a reliable partner of NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization],” declared President Ilham Aliyev in December 2021 during his visit to NATO Headquarters in Brussels. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed this statement by referring to Azerbaijan as “a valued partner.” Stoltenberg... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/619-Farm-640x360.webp)
EU Set to Green-Light Suspension of Import Duties for Ukrainian Grain Exports
On May 25, the Council of the European Union ultimately renewed the temporary agreement for the bloc’s trade liberalization with Ukraine for another year (Consilium.europa.eu, May 25). The decision, which came into force on June 6, was not, however, easy to achieve as the EU’s... MORE