Majority of Macedonians say Serbia is North Macedonia’s biggest friend

Serbia and North Macedonia signed their 7^th cross-border project for monitoring and cleaning up illegal depots in the region of Skopje over a period of 18 months, MIA news agency reports. Talking to TV Pink, Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic commented the relations between North Macedonia and Serbia: “We are North Macedonia’s biggest friend. Who can be closer to them than Serbia? We are the only ones who do not want a change of the name, the flag, the language or anything else. We love the Macedonian people. We don’t want anything from them. We have the best relations possible, and we are also friends and brothers,” Vucic said. A survey by the Macedonian Image Observatory indicates that 39% of people in North Macedonia consider Serbia to be the country’s biggest friend. Bulgaria is in last position among all of its neigubours, MIA reports.

Elections for parliament in Slovenia

Regular elections for parliament are to take place in Slovenia on 24 April, with 1.65 million Slovenians eligible to vote, the Bulgarian news agency BTA reports. They will be voting to elect MPs to the 90-seat parliament of the country. Two of the seats are for the Italian and the Hungarian minority. According to social surveys voter turnout will be higher than four years ago, when it stood at 52.6%. Surveys suggest that consolidation in the political domain will lead to fewer parties entering the new parliament. The threshold for entering parliament for parties is 4%. The new formation Freedom Movement is the main rival of the ruling Slovenian Democratic Party, sociologists say.

Romania makes military aid to Ukraine legal

Romania is ready to supply Ukraine with lethal weapons from its national defence reserves, Romania Libera writes. This will be made possible via amendments to Romania’s legislation and a special decree by the Ministry of Defence to amend the government decree on stocking, removing and renewing the national defence reserves. Once the document is approved, Romania will be able to deliver of its defence reserves to members of NATO, but also to allies. Bucharest has already announced it is grounding all of its modernized second generation MiG-21 fighter jets and will be sending them to Ukraine. Minister of Defence Vasile Dîncu stated that, for the time being, the only support Romania is rendering Ukraine is humanitarian, not military, AGERPRESS reports.

Three-quarters of people in Greece are vaccinated against Covid-19

Greece does not believe in a zero-Covid strategy, like the one in place in China, Minister of Health Thanos Plevris stated during a presentation of the epidemiological situation in the country, the Greek Sky TV reports. “After two years we are in a different phase of pandemic management. We are beginning to learn to live with the virus. There do exist measures, though they are not mandatory because the situation is changed,” Minister Plevris said, and added that 75% of the country’s population is vaccinated, vaccination coverage among seniors reaching 85%, and among the vulnerable groups – 90%, ANA-MPA news agency reports. 

Exports by Turkey’s defence industry increase significantly

Turkey’s military industry is expecting to export arms worth over USD 4 billion this year, the Turkish Milliyet newspaper writes, quoting Ismail Demir, president of Turkey’s defence industries, who stated that over the 12 months from March 2021 to March 2022, the industry has exported USD 3.53 billion worth of production. Ismail Demir says that Turkey has signed bilateral agreements on cooperation in the defence industry with 82 countries. The latest agreements are with Iraq, Nigeria and Congo. Aeronautical products have increased by 50% in the export list of Turkey’s defence industry. Interest is highest in Bayraktar unmanned combat aerial vehicles, after they proved to be particularly effective in the war in Ukraine, as well as the latest conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Compiled by Ivo Ivanov