Strong quake in Turkey claims lives of 31 people

31 people died in the strong earthquake that his Eastern turkey on Friday. The epicenter of the quake with a magnitude of 6.8 on the Richter scale that hit Elazig province was in the small coastal town of Sivrice. The earthquake was also felt in neighboring towns and countries. Rescue operations continue. Over 80 buildings were completely destroyed in Elazig and Malatya and at least 645 suffered severe damages. Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan promised that Turkey’s Housing Agency YOKI will do whatever is necessary to make sure nobody is left without a home.

United States Ambassador to Germany tries to settle dispute between Serbia and Kosovo

The United States Ambassador to Germany and President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy to Serbia and Kosovo Richard Grenell visited Pristina and Belgrade. Ambassador Grenell said establishing train links between Kosovska Mitrovica and Belgrade became a priority after U.S officials brokered another deal to restore air traffic between Serbia and Kosovo after 21 years. Richard Grenell called on Pristina to remove the high tariffs on Serbian goods. I am trying to focus on creating a dynamic in the economy while leaving the politics to you, Richard Grenell further said. In Belgrade Richard Grenell asked Serbia to stop the campaign against the recognition of the Kosovo independence. If Kosovo lifts the tariffs, we may consider suspending temporarily our actions against the Kosovo independence, but we will never recognize our new neighbor, the Serbian authorities replied.

Civil initiative in North Macedonia demands ban on imports of waste from Bulgaria

The civil initiative O2 demanded a full ban on the imports of any type of waste to North Macedonia used in Bitola thermal power plant. Goran Angelov, director of Skopje’s biggest dump site and waste management plant “Drisla”, was dismissed recently. Together with two Italian nationals, Angelov exported waste to Bulgaria found at the Black Sea ports in Varna and Burgas. In Goran Angelov’s view, the waste had to be delivered to Bobov Dol thermal power plant in Southwest Bulgaria, but according to Bulgaria’s Prosecutor’s Office, the waste had to reach a factory located in the town of Pleven (Central North Bulgaria). In 2014 a total of 7.4 million tons of waste were imported to Bulgaria from North Macedonia. Much smaller quantities were imported from Serbia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, data of Bulgaria’s National Statistical Institute shows. In 2019 a total of 2 million tons of waste were imported to Bulgaria. 

Fitch rating agency raises Greece’s credit rating

Greece’s Minister of Finance Christos Staikouras confirmed that Fitch rating agency raised the credit rating of this country by one notch to BB with a positive outlook. Greece emerged from a ten-year financial crisis and now the political stability and rigorous fiscal discipline open the door to strong investment, the Greek cabinet announced. Now, social security contributions can be reduced which will result in lower unemployment. The Greek cabinet decided not to reduce minimum salary and shifted to a new policy in support of wages and the middle class, experts comment. The higher credit rating will allow for the “solidarity tax” paid by over 2 million Greeks to be reduced. In 2021, it will be completely abolished.

Kyiv: President Volodymyr Zelenski never accused Romania of having “occupied” Northern Bukovina

The region of Northern Bukovina was “taken /occupied” by Romania in 1919, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenski said on occasion of the Ukrainian Unity Day. On this occasion, Romania’s Foreign Ministry asked Kyiv to clarify the statement and expressed surprise about the remarks, which it said “make evident the need for a correct understanding of history”. Ukraine’s Ambassador to Romania voiced sincere regret over the controversy caused by the inaccurate translation. Ukraine’s leader Zelenski talked about the events that happened over 100 years ago and noted that a large territory of Galicia was taken by Polish troops and Northern Bukovina- by the Romanians. According to Ukraine’s diplomatic service, the misunderstanding occurred due to connotations of illegitimacy in the word occupy.

Canal Istanbul raises uncertainties about the future of the Montreux Convention

The project for construction of Canal Istanbul planned as an alternative to the Bosphorus Straits raises uncertainties about the future of the Montreux Convention of 1936, which established international regime for the Turkish straits- the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles and acknowledges the right of free passage through the Straits, Bloomberg agency comments. Turkey cannot charge a transit fee from merchant vessels using the Bosphorus and the new canal can only generate revenues if shipping companies use it. Turkey may want to impose a fee on the older waterway, but for the purpose the convention has to be amended with the approval of a least 10 countries that are party to the convention: Turkey, Russia, Bulgaria, Romania, the USA, Great Britain, Australia, Greece and Japan and the now defunct Yugoslavia. It is hard to imagine why they would agree to such a change, Bloomberg further comments.

Written by: Ivo Ivanov

English version: Kostadin Atanasov