Nine top officials from the Balkans and central Europe are meeting in Geneva at the invitation of the World Economic Forum (WEF) to discuss economic integration and collaboration.
In a rare occurrence, the president of Kosovo and prime minister of Serbia are sitting around the same table. Less than a month ago Kosovo’s
President Hashim Thaci and his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic cancelled participation in a Brussels meeting at the last minute because of “differences”. This time Thaci and Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic are both present at the WEF meeting.
Thaci is facing internal protest over his proposal to “correct” the borders to normalise relations with Serbia, which does not recognise Kosovo’s independence. This would involve population swaps between a majority Albanian region of Serbia and a majority Serbian region of Kosovo, according to media reports. Thousands of people protested on Sunday against Thaci.
Also attending the WEF meeting are Slovenian President Borut Pahor, prime ministers Andrej Plenkovic of Croatia and Edi Rama of Albania, vice prime minister of Montenegro Zoran Pazin, Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov and Bulgarian minister Lilyana Pavlova.
In addition, the Turkish and Slovak foreign ministers and German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen are present. Switzerland is represented by deputy state secretary at the foreign ministry Krystyna Marty Lang.
The World Economic Forum hopes the participants will reach a framework agreement for continued collaboration.
More
More
Kosovars set to receive Swiss pensions again
This content was published on
Switzerland and Kosovo have agreed to resume the payment of old age and disability pensions suspended eight years ago amid cases of fraud.
This content was published on
Nemo brought the Eurovision Song Contest to Switzerland with a victory on Saturday evening in Malmö, Sweden. It is Switzerland's third victory in the history of the music contest.
Switzerland abstains from vote on Palestinian bid for full UN membership
This content was published on
On Friday, Switzerland abstained from the vote at the General Assembly on granting the Palestinians new rights at the United Nations (UN).
Protein in abdominal fat could help shape obesity treatment
This content was published on
The study analysed fat cells from different locations in the body, and found that those in the abdomen have unique properties.
North African asylum claims fall after rapid Swiss processing
This content was published on
The accelerated procedure, now out of its test phase, has resulted in a significant drop in applications from North African countries.
This content was published on
The artist's song "The Code" focuses on their journey as a nonbinary individual. It is one of the favourites to win this year's contest.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Italian police dismantle Kosovar trafficking network
This content was published on
Italian authorities have dismantled a Kosovar criminal network that was smuggling gold and weapons as well as trafficking migrants, particularly into Switzerland.
This content was published on
Switzerland and Kosovo have agreed to resume the payment of old age and disability pensions suspended eight years ago amid cases of fraud.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.