NATO: Greece and Turkey set up accident avoidance hotline

Greece and Turkey have set up a military hotline to avoid accidental clashes in the Eastern Mediterranean, where disputes exist over energy resources and maritime borders, BGNES reported, quoting a NATO statement. "After a series of technical meetings between the Greek and Turkish military representatives at NATO headquarters in Brussels, a bilateral military mechanism was set up on Thursday to avoid conflict," the North Atlantic Treaty Organization said in a statement on Thursday.

EU: Sanctions for Turkey if it continued provocations against Greece and Cyprus

Arriving at the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron said Europeans' solidarity with Greece and Cyprus in relation to the conflict with Turkey over Mediterranean hydrocarbon exploration areas was "non-negotiable". "When a member state of the union is attacked, threatened, when its territorial waters are not respected, it is the duty of Europeans to show solidarity," Macron was quoted as saying by BTA. During the meeting, EC President Ursula von der Leyen said that Brussels was ready at any moment to announce sanctions against Ankara if it did not stop its unilateral provocations.

Kosovo stops Serbian minister from entering the country

Kosovo's foreign ministry has rejected a request by Serbian Minister of Education Mladen Sarcevic to enter the country, BGNES reported. Sarcevic wanted to visit an educational institution in northern Mitrovica, a municipality in northern Kosovo inhabited by a predominantly Serb population. According to the Kosovo Foreign Ministry, the request was rejected because of the Serbian government's ongoing campaign against recognizing Kosovo's independence.

This is the second time Kosovo has prevented Sarcevic from entering the country. In June 2019, he was denied a visit to the State University of Pristina, in northern Mitrovica.

Skopje announces fourth package of economic measures totaling 470 million euros

The Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, has presented the measures from the fourth package adopted by the government to overcome the consequences of the health and economic crisis caused by Covid-19. The package is worth a total of 470 million euros. Together with the previous three packages, the money allocated to the economy and citizens total one billion euros. The fourth package is to assist employers in paying salaries and will support preservation of 250,000 jobs. Support will be provided to single parents, retirees, independent artists, etc. There will be support for tourism by refunding the tourist tax for 2019 in the amount of 2 million euro.

School year in Montenegro has started under strict anti- Covid-19 measures

The new school year in primary and secondary schools in Montenegro began on October 1st with new rules over the coronavirus, BTA reported. In primary schools, students from first to sixth grade will study with reduced hours, masks and distance learning, and from seventh onwards they will go entirely to distance learning. The Ministry of Education has provided primary and secondary school students with videos on most subjects, which will be broadcast on state television, but will also be published on a special portal for schools. The education workers' union has demanded additional pay for teachers during the coronavirus epidemic due to the new training conditions.

Earthquake shakes Mount Athos during vigil

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake was recorded at sea near Halkidiki and was felt on Mount Athos during a night vigil on September 27, BGNES reported. The epicenter was 22 km southwest of Mount Athos. Monks from Mount Athos posted on social media videos of the earthquake, recorded by security cameras. Plaster fell, oil from the lamp spilled on the floor and the priest calmly continued the service, as if nothing was happening, the monks wrote.

Compiled by: Miglena Ivanova

English: Alexander Markov

Photos: EPA/BGNES and archive