European Council President Donald Tusk to visit Western Balkans

From April 24 to 27 the President of the European Council Donald Tusk is to make a trip in the Western Balkan countries, including visits in Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Macedonia. Donald Tusk chancellery explained that the purpose of his visit is linked with the preparation of the forthcoming EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia on May 17.

Turkey aims to double economic growth by 2023

Turkey will try to double the volume of its foreign trade to USD 1 trillion by 2023, that country’s President Recep Erdogan told the Foreign Economic Relations Board’s general assembly in Istanbul. Turkey is also aiming for a USD 2 trillion gross domestic product, President Erdogan went on to say. According to official data released at the end of March, the Turkish economy grew with 7.4% in 2017, marking its fastest expansion in four years with robust growth in industry, construction and services.

Greece refuses soldier swap with Turkey

Greece’s President Prokopis Pavlopoulos rejected the proposal of a swap deal involving the two Greek soldiers detained by the Turkish authorities in exchange for the Turkish soldiers wanted by Ankara over the failed coup in 2016. Earlier, Turley’s President Recap Erdogan said that his government would consider the Greek soldier’s case if Athens extradited the Turkish soldiers. The exchange of two Greek soldiers jailed in Turkey with eight Turkish soldiers residing in Greece is out of the question. The two Greek soldiers were detained and charged in espionage in Turkey at the end of March this year after crossing the Greece-Turkey border. They claim that they lost their way in the fog. The eight Turkish soldiers left their home country and fled to Greece after the failed coup in 2016.

Serbia’s Minister of Defense Vulin not welcome in Croatia: Croatia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Serbia’s Minister of Defense Aleksandar Vulin is not welcome in Croatia, that country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially announced. The Ministry forwarded a note to the Serbian embassy in Zagreb condemning Vulin’s statement that “it is only the Serbian Army’s supreme commander Aleksandar Vucic who can decide on his travel to Croatia”. The note of the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminds that Croatia is a sovereign country, a NATO and EU member, and decisions on allowing foreign citizens to enter Croatia fall exclusively within the jurisdiction of the Croatian institutions. Underscoring the function of Aleksandar Vucic as the army supreme commander who would decide on allowing anybody to enter Croatia is unacceptable attempt to repudiate Croatia’s sovereignty. That is why Vulin is not welcome in our country, the note further reads.

Zoran Zaev: Macedonia is getting closer to solving naming dispute with Greece

Macedonia has never been closer to solving the 25 year naming dispute with Greece, but even if it fails Skopje will continue to integrate with Europe, Macedonia’s Premier Zoran Zaev told AFP. A progress has been marked in the negotiations between the two countries, after Macedonia agreed in February this year to change the name of its airport in Skopje from Alexander the Great to Skopje International Airport as a sign of good will. Premier Zaev believes that an agreement may be reached by the summer of 2018.

Written by: Stoimen Pavlov

English version: Kostadin Atanasov