President “must be born in Turkey” condition to change

The law proposed by the ruling Justice and Development Party in Turkey that “the head of state does not have to be born in Turkey” was adopted by the Parliamentary Constitution Committee, Anadolu Agency specifies. If the country adopts the other amendments to the country’s Constitution, the number of articles will be decreased from 21 to 19. The article about the postponement of elections and the article on the authority of the President over all state institutions will be removed.

President of Northern Cyprus Mustafa Akinci insists on Turkish military presence on the island

The President of Northern Cyprus Mustafa Akinci said that if Greece and Cyprus are insisting on a settlement which includes no guarantees and no army, the talks about the reunification of the island would end before they even begin. President Akinci explained that his demand for Turkish military presence on the island and for a system of guarantees, which the Greek side describes as anachronism, stem from his desire “not to witness war again”. His statement reduces the chances of a successful end of the negotiations, international observers comment.

Two Spanish women linked with ISIS arrested in Turkey

Two Spanish women were arrested in Turkey in an attempt to enter Europe again. The women were coming from Syria, Reuters and Associated Press inform. The two Spanish women went to Syria two years ago to join their husbands who fought for the so-called Islamic State. They were arrested with the assistance of the Spanish Police.

Athens expects to sign new bailout agreement with its international creditors by end December

The Spokesperson of the Greek cabinet Dimitris Tzanakopoulos commented that Athens was optimistic that by the end of December this year it would reach a new agreement with the international creditors on the second bailout programme. According to the plans of the Greek cabinet, Greece would return to the international bond markets in the first quarter of 2017 and would resume its economic sovereignty with the end of the bailout programme in August 2018. The provision of a new financial package from the international creditors depends on the successful completion of the bailout agreement.

Serbia wants to preserve special relations with Republika Srpska

At a meeting in Belgrade with the Chairman of the Presidium of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mladen Ivanic, Serbia’s President Tomislav Nikolic said that his country wanted to develop its cooperation with Bosnia and Herzegovina and maintain its special ties with Republika Srpska. Mladen Ivanic said in return that Serbia’s adherence to Republika Srpska was not an obstacle for Belgrade to respect the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and to work towards development of good relations with Sarajevo.

Constituent assembly of new Macedonian Parliament scheduled for December 30

The constituent assembly of the new Macedonian Parliament was scheduled for Friday, December 30. The State Electoral Commission of Macedonia already handed in the mandates to all 120 new MPs. The new National Assembly will consist of 51 representatives of VMRO-DPMNE, 49 members of the opposition Social Democratic Union, 10 representatives of the Democratic Union for Integration, 5 members of the new BESA movement, 3 representatives of the Alliance of Albanians and 2 members of the Democratic Party of Albanians.

Montenegro issues international arrest warrant for two Russian nationals

The Montenegrin authorities have issued an international arrest warrant for two Russian citizens and three Serbs who were allegedly involved in a coup plot to overthrow the country’s Pro-NATO government, the Prosecutor’s Office in Podgorica contends. In the beginning of December the local Dnevne Novine newspaper wrote that Eduard Shirokov and Vladimir Popov were the two Russian nationals. According to the prosecution, they paid a Serbian nationalist EUR 200,000 to form a group headed by former commander of the Serbian Gendarmerie Bratislav Dikic, in order to organize a coup in Podgorica and murder Premier Milo Djukanovic.

Written by: Stoimen Pavlov

English version: Kostadin Atanasov