Balkan developments

published on 3/1/24 10:29 AM

Zelensky offers Tirana joint production of weapons

For the first time since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Albania for a meeting with Prime Minister Edi Rama, Euronews Albania reports. The visit of the Ukrainian president took place within the framework of the forum organized by Rama, dedicated to support for Kyiv and the European integration of the Western Balkans.

Zelensky presented the Albanian prime minister with a medal for his contribution to Ukraine and launched the idea of joint production of weapons in Albania, which would then be directed to the front in Ukraine.

According to Edi Rama, support for Ukraine is a guarantee that Russian aggression will not reach the Balkans or other regions in Europe. Later, during the forum, Zelensky stated that he was open to joint production with all the countries of the Western Balkans – Albania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia, Montenegro, Croatia.‎

Turkey is in the top 3 countries with the most diplomatic missions in the world

China, the USA and Turkey are the countries with the largest diplomatic network in the world. This is shown by the results of a report by the Australian-based ‎Lowy Institute, cited by Mediapool. The ranking covers 66 countries, Bulgaria is not included in it.

Turkey occupies the third place with its 252 representations in 147 countries. Ankara has opened 11 missions abroad after 2021 - most in the Middle East and Africa. However, nearly 40% of Ankara's diplomatic network is located in Europe. For comparison, in 2002, Turkey had only 163 representations around the world.‎

Natural gas has been discovered off the Greek part of Crete

A field rich in natural gas has been discovered near the island of Crete. Drilling for natural gas deposits in the Aegean Sea so far has shown that exploration has identified the presence of natural gas in an amount that could cover 15% of Europe's needs. This was reported by Greek MP Tassos Hadjivassiliou, an energy expert, quoted by BNR correspondent in Greece Katia Peeva.

From the preliminary studies, it was established that the deposits near the island of Crete are of natural gas and oil and in quality are richer than those developed near Cyprus.

According to the Ministry of Energy of Greece, which is striving for energy independence, studies are also currently being carried out in the maritime area near the island of Corfu in the Ionian Sea. Preliminary analyzes also suggest significant gas deposits near the islands of Kefalonia and Lefkada.

Romania bans a Chinese tech giant from using 5G networks

Romania has officially banned the Chinese technology giant Huawei from using its 5G networks due to concerns about the country's national security, BGNES reports. In the published decision, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu emphasized that the ban was introduced after thorough assessments by the relevant institutions regarding national security and defense risks and in view of the 5G Security Act adopted in 2021 following a memorandum with the US.

This legislation aims to reduce the security risks posed by Chinese technology companies.

The EU has also urged member states to exclude Chinese equipment from their 5G infrastructure due to security concerns, the agency said.

Bulgarians, Macedonians, Romanians and Greeks tie white and red threads on March 1

The decorations of white and red threads, tied for health on March 1, unite the peoples of Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Romania, Moldova and Greece. The decorations are taken off and tied to a blossoming tree when meeting a stork or a swallow.

In different countries, they are associated with different legends, but they symbolize the same thing - the awakening of nature, health and fertility.

They are respectively called martenitsa in Bulgaria, martenki (in North Macedonia), mărțişor (in Romania and Moldova ) and martis /μάρτης/ (in Northern Greece).‎

Compiled by Miglena Ivanova

Published by Rositsa Petkova