United States troops relocate from Germany to Romania

United States troops relocating have been relocated from Germany to Romania. The Stryker squadron, designed to deploy on short order, will add to the 900 soldiers the U.S. currently has rotating in Romania. Romania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogadan Aurescu said that “strengthening the U.S. military presence along NATO’s eastern flank is a necessary step and a strong signal of the U.S commitment to the security of its allies”, Radio Romania informed. The Councilor of the United States Department of State Derek Chollet has discussed with Romania’s authorities plans to deal with a possible wave of Ukrainian refugees triggered by a possible Russian invasion in Ukraine, as well as the possibilities for supplies of energy sources to Romania, if Russia cuts gas supplies.

Greece’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias to visit Moscow

Greece’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias is expected to pay an official visit to Moscow on February 18. Minister Dendias will meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov amid tensions between Russia and Ukraine. “Greece is a member of the European Union and NATO, but we always tell our interlocutors that we consider it necessary to maintain channels of communication with Russia and a constant dialogue with it. We believe that Russia is an integral part of the overall security infrastructure of Europe”, the Spokesperson of Greece’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alexandros Papaioannou said, BGNES informs. At the end of January, Greece’s Minister of Foreign Affairs paid a visit to Ukraine and met with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba. Minister Dendias said back then that Greece was not planning to evacuate its diplomats, but was ready to support the Greek community in Ukraine is necessary.

Turkey’s population increases by more than 1 million people in one year

Turkey’s population has increased to 84.6 million people as of end-2021. 1,065,911 people were added to the population as compared to 2020, the Turkish Statistical Institute announced. The number of foreign nationals residing in Turkey increased with 458,626 people to 1,792 million. 50.1% of the total population were males and 49.9% were females. The median age in the country increased from 32.7 to 33.1. The highest median age was registered in Sinop province- 41.8 and the lowest one was reported in Şanlıurfa- 20.6.

Cyprus to use casino revenues for housing policies

The Cypriot government will earmark 15% of its new casino’s revenue to Cyprus Land Development Corporation (CLDC) for the promotion of its housing policy projects. The overall expenditures for the implementation of the hosing policy amounts to EUR 125 million, President Nicos Anastasiades announced.

CLDC is planning to build more than 800 housing units in the coming years which will be allocated either through the affordable housing plan or through the new affordable rent plan for economically vulnerable households. Part of the money will be used for the revival of mountain and rural areas, the correspondent of the BNR in Cyprus Branislava Bobanac informed. The first casino-resort in Cyprus is expected to open in July this year. In 2021, it is expected to generate revenues to the tune of EUR 32 million. In 2022, revenues are expected to increase to EUR 50 million.

Dubrovnik places 5^th in Trip Advisor’s ranking of top 10 trending destination in the world

The town of Dubrovnik (Croatia) placed 5^th in Trip Advisor’s ranking of top 10 trending destination in the world for 2022, ahead of Ibiza and Santorini.

“Dubrovnik has recovered from the war damage it suffered in the 1990’s, and visitor have returned to this tranquil city. Nestled between the Adriatic and the Dinaric Alps, it is an accessible and affordable city break for many European travelers. The pedestrian-only Old Town is especially charming”, Travel Advisor writes.

Written by: Miglena Ivanova

English version: Kostadin Atanasov