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Monday Briefing from the Balkans: March 23, 2025

Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region. Original post Here

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Albanian Orthodox Church Gets First Ethnic Albanian Leader in Generations

The new Primate will need to be savvy, navigating between conflicting pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian currents in the small but opinionated Albanian Orthodox Church. Original post Here

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Albania’s Controversial TikTok Ban Still Not Fully Working

A government order to ban TikTok to protect children from violent material came into force more than a week ago, but the mobile phone app for the video-sharing platform is still partially working in Albania. Original post Here

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News Analysis: A Geopolitical Shift in the Western Balkans?

The Trilateral Defense Agreement Between Albania, Croatia, and Kosovo The recent signing of a trilateral defense cooperation agreement between Albania, Croatia, and Kosovo marks a significant geopolitical development in the Western Balkans. This move, underscores growing security collaboration in a historically fragile region. While the agreement does not constitute a …

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Albania, Croatia, and Kosovo Sign Defense Agreement: A New Military Alliance in the Balkans?

By Tirana Times TIRANA, Albania, March 19th— Albania, Croatia, and Kosovo have signed a joint declaration aimed at strengthening defense and security cooperation, marking a significant geopolitical development in the Western Balkans. The agreement, announced this week in Tirana, signals an increased level of military collaboration but stops short of …

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United Arab Emirates ‘s Expanding Influence in Albania – Financial and Political Concerns

By Tirana Times TIRANA, March 20th (Tirana Times ) The Albanian government has nearly doubled the projected cost of its “Smart City” initiative, now expected to cost $118.5 million—up from the initially planned $60 million—raising concerns over transparency, lack of competition, and the protection of personal data. The government announced …

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Serbia Angered by Defence Pact Linking Croatia, Albania and Kosovo

A defence agreement between Croatia, Albania and Kosovo, calling for joint responses to common security challenges, has drawn a furious response from Serbia, which called it a threatening move. Original post Here

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News or PR? In Edi Rama’s Albania, It’s Hard to Tell the Difference

Under Prime Minister Edi Rama and his Socialist Party, Albania’s government has been bombarding the media with carefully curated PR packages that air as ‘news’. Original post Here

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Albanian Government Doubles Cost of ‘Smart City’ Project Without Transparency

By Tirana Times TIRANA, Albania (Tirana Times ) The Albanian government has nearly doubled the projected cost of its “Smart City” initiative, now expected to cost $118.5 million—up from the initially planned $60 million—raising concerns over transparency, lack of competition, and the protection of personal data. The government announced the …

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Albanian Court Upholds Detention of Tirana Mayor Amid Corruption Investigation

By Tirana Times TIRANA, Albania Venesday March 12th—A special appeals court in Albania has upheld the pretrial detention of Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj, rejecting his request for a more lenient security measure. The ruling, reaffirmed on Monday by Judge Engert Pëllumbi, has sparked significant controversy, with Veliaj’s legal team and …