Athens opposes freezing EU talks with Turkey

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has said quoted by ABC that the EU would make a mistake if it terminates accession talks with Turkey. German and Austrian authorities have already suggested termination of talks but Tsipras sees such scenario as a strategic mistake which might be used by Turkish President Recep Erdogan. The Greek prime minister’s stance is that Turkey is an important regional factor and good contacts with it are a must.

Albanian parliament elects speaker, election of government forthcoming

The Albanian Parliament has elected Gramoz Ruci to be its speaker. He was the only candidate for the post. The nomination of the ruling Albanian Socialist Party was backed by 80 of the total of 140 MPs. The main opposition group, the Democratic Party, voted against, and the opposition Socialist Movement for Integration boycotted the vote. The leader of the Socialists Edi Rama who has been nominated for prime minister is forming a small and restructured cabinet whose line-up should be voted this week. The new government is expected to begin reforms for uprooting corruption, combat drug trafficking, achieve fast economic growth and cut unemployment.

Kosovo appoints new government

With 61 votes for and one abstaining the parliament of Kosovo has elected a new government with Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj. The MPs from the extreme right movement Self Determination and from the Democratic League of Kosovo walked out of parliament and did not take part in voting. Haradinaj has declared Kosovo’s accession to EU and NATO a key priority of his cabinet and has pointed to the need of dialogue with Serbia. After he presented his government program, the new premier called on citizens to get ready for a new Kosovo.

Belgrade willing to have good relations with Skopje

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic has said she has not held talks with her Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev regarding the possibility of Skopje supporting Kosovo’s Interpol membership. She however has vowed that Belgrade will do everything within its power to maintain good relations with Macedonia. Recalling she has sent an official invitation to Zaev to visit Serbia in November, Brnabic has said she expects the visit to be used for planning a joint meeting of the governments of the two countries.

Romania detains 200 migrants in the Black Sea

Romanian coastguards have seized two fishing boats in the Black Sea with a total of 200 migrants on board, the Bucharest authorities said. One of them with 97 Iranian and Iraqi citizens was just a mile away from the Bulgarian coastline and an investigation was conducted to determine where it had come from. Since mid-August, the boat has been the fourth one, carrying migrants across the Black Sea, and Bucharest is worried that Romania may become an alternative route for illegal migrants heading for Europe on the dangerous road across the Mediterranean.

Compiled by Stoimen Pavlov

English Daniela Konstantinova ​