Turkey finally approves Sweden’s NATO membership bid

After 20 months of delay, the President of Turkey Recep Erdogan signed off on the ratification of Sweden’s accession to NATO. This brings the Scandinavian country one step closer to membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Sweden, which kept its military neutrality for decades, started the process of joining NATO in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine. After Turkey agreed to Sweden’s accession, now it has to overcome the last hurdle on the way to its membership – the approval of Hungary. At the NATO summit in Vilnius in July, 2023, Turkey agreed to lift the veto in Sweden. For this to happen, however, Stockholm promised not to support organizations which Ankara regards as terrorist organizations, among them the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, PKK, and the US – to lift the veto on the delivery of F-16s to Turkey. US Ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake said that once the formal ratification document is received in Washington, the U.S. State Department will immediately send Congress notification of the $20 billion F-16s sale, Reuters reports.

Protests in Greece against legalization of same-sex marriages

Devout Greeks organized a protest in Thessaloniki and Athens, carrying icons and crosses, against the draft bill legalizing same-sex marriages, which is yet to be debated by parliament, BNR’s correspondent in Greece Katya Peeva reports. The protesters say they support human rights but that same-sex marriages go against the laws of nature. The protests come against the backdrop of the active campaign launched by the Greek Orthodox church against any form of legalization of same-sex marriages and the adoption of children by such couples. Social surveys show society is divided on the matter. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on his part is adamant the bill will be submitted to parliament, because this will be a way to have “equality and give equal access to marriage to all citizens”. The bill is expected to be approved with the support of the socialists in parliament.

North Macedonia PM resigns, expects to be back on the job after 8 May election

The Prime Minister of North Macedonia Dimitar Kovačevski has submitted his resignation to parliament which means the entire government is also resigning. On Sunday, 28 January, a caretaker government is to be voted which will rule the country until the parliamentary election in the country on 8 May. According to Dimitar Kovačevski, in order to maintain its strategic direction, which is the Western orientation and the strategic partnership with the USA, the person best suited for the position of caretaker prime minister is the current president of parliament Talat Xhaferi. BGNES notes, that Xhaferi will be the first Macedonian prime minister of Albanian ethnic origin in history. Dimitar Kovačevski believes that on the day after the election, 9 May, it will become clear that he will, once again take the helm in the country. “On 9 May, Europe Day, we are going to announce the victory of the European coalition which will once again form a pro-European government, which will make Macedonia a member of the EU,” he said.

Romanians travel to Ukrainian resort to ski

The biggest ski resort in Ukraine, Bukovel, which is just 100 kms. from the border with Romania, has been a popular destination with Romanians since before the Russian invasion, and now, even though Ukraine is at war, they are still travelling to Bukovel to ski, the Romanian Adevărul writes. 

“I arrived yesterday at Sighet border check point. The document check took no more than 15 minutes. Then, on the way, we had three more checks, other than that I was not stopped. There are no signs of a conflict. In Bukovel everything is normal, quiet, the tourists are mostly Ukrainian, not foreigners,” Adevărul writes, quoting a Romanian tourist who travelled to the resort and who posted his opinion to the Facebook group Bukovel Romania Official. 

The resort has around 70 kms. of ski runs which meet international standards; it is a popular destination for organized bus trips for children, Adevărul writes further. 31 of the 60 ski runs are open, and a day pass costs EUR 36, accommodation costs EUR 20 to EUR 200 a night, and in many of the hotels Romanian is spoken.

Compiled by Miglena Ivanova

Photos: Reuters, BGNES, newsbreak.gr, Facebook/ Bukovel

Translated and posted by Milena Daynova