Balkan Developments

published on 10/16/20 11:57 AM

Zaev: I want to pay official visit to Bulgaria first

We are working on the problem with Bulgaria and I expect to visit Bulgaria soon, ahead of the Berlin Process, North Macedonia’s Premier Zoran Zaev said, quoted by BGNES. “I want to visit Bulgaria and I am not hiding my desire to pay an official visit to Bulgaria first before visiting other neighboring countries, because of our friendship. This is how my first term in office began and I believe that our country achieved great success during this period”, Zoran Zaev underlined. A summit of the countries from the Berlin Process is to be held in Sofia in the beginning of November. This year the Berlin Process is co-chaired by Bulgaria and North Macedonia.

Aleksandar Vućić and Miroslav Lajčák: Everything that has been negotiated must be implemented

Dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo must continue and Serbia is determined to reach a compromise. Everything that has been negotiated must be implemented, the common position of Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vućić and the EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajčák adopted after their meeting on October 15 reads, BGNES informs.

President Vućić called the negotiations constructive. “We are ready for dialogue and will go to Brussels to hold negotiations, in order to reach a decision of compromise and normalize bilateral relations”, Aleksandar Vućić said. “The EU is not interested in slowing down the process, but it is not possible to speed it up either”, Miroslav Lajčák said in return and underlined that this process is linked to the European future of the two countries.

Cypriot government scraps citizenship for investment scheme due to scandal

The Speaker of the Cypriot National Assembly Demetris Syllouris resigned over a corruption scandal, BNR correspondent in Cyprus Branislava Bobanac informed. Syllouris resigned after he was secretly filmed allegedly trying to facilitate a passport for a fugitive investor under the so-called “golden passports scheme”. Although Syllouris insisted he was innocent, he said he “would step down after Al Jazeera’s broadcast tarnished the image of Cyprus as a member of the European Union”. An MP from the opposition party AKEL also left Parliament over alleged participation in the “golden passports” scheme. “I have not violated the law in any way”, Demetris Syllouris said when he handed in his resignation. The Cypriot government said it would scrap the “golden passports” scheme for foreign investors as of next month.

Highest level of alert declared in seven Slovenian regions

Slovenia introduced partial quarantine in 7 regions over the sharp increase in the number of newly-registered cases of Covid-19, BTA informs. These regions entered the Red Zone as the number of newly-infected people exceeded 140 per 100,000. A temporary ban on all events and gatherings of more than 10 people will apply there. Wearing masks becomes mandatory both indoors and outdoors. Restriction on certain sports activities is also in place. People travelling from one district to another must prove their need to travel with a document.

Greek athlete makes dream of woman with disability to step on Mount Olympus come true

Long-distance runner Marios Giannakou completed the race of his life as he climbed Mount Olympus carrying disabled Eleftheria Tosiou on his back. Twenty-two-year-old Tosiou studies biology in Thessaloniki. The two met one month ago when the young woman told Giannakou that she dreamt of climbing one of the most-popular summits in Greece, uspelite.bg web site informs. The runner had already climbed Olympus 50 times, but says the 51^st ascent was most special and exciting for him.

Written by: Miglena Ivanova

English version: Kostadin Atanasov