Greek and Turkish Cypriots call for more crossing points along the Green Line

The political parties of the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots have called on their leaders to open more crossing points along the Green Line dividing Cyprus, in ordoer to facilitate better communication between the two ethnic communities, BTA reports. The island, which has been ethnically divided since 1974, has 9 connecting points along the 180-kilometer Green Line. Thousands of people use them daily, as long queues and traffic jams are a regular occurrence. 13 Greek and Turkish Cypriot parties attending an event organized by the Slovak Embassy in Nicosia supported the call for their communities' political leaders to move forward in this direction. "This is a must in order to preserve our common cultural heritage and make people's lives much easier," said Mehmet Harmanci, mayor of the Nicosia Turkish Municipality.

Croatia sends non-paper to Montenegro on unresolved bilateral issues

Croatia has sent Montenegro a non-paper, in which it presents its demands for the resolution of several open issues that, according to Zagreb, violate bilateral relations, good neighborliness and hinder Podgorica's European integration, vijesti.me reported. Croatia emphasizes that it supports Montenegro's accession to the EU, but Zagreb wants the resolution of bilateral disputes such as the ownership of the naval training ship "Jadran", the prosecution of war crimes, the politicization of the topic of the Croatian concentration camp Jasenovac during World War II, etc. The non-paper was sent against the backdrop of expectations that Podgorica will close 4 chapters of the EU accession negotiations by the end of 2025. Montenegro has proposed the establishment of a working group for consultations with Croatia on the issues raised.

Belgrade lifts moratorium on nuclear power

After 35 years, Serbia has lifted its moratorium on the construction of nuclear power plants. The Serbian parliament has adopted amendments to the Energy Act, which lift the ban introduced in the former Yugoslavia in 1989. At that time, due to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the authorities suspended the country's nuclear program and closed the only research reactor in the vicinity of Belgrade. The transition to nuclear power is likely to be a long and expensive process. According to a recent government study, the launch of a new nuclear facility will most likely take up to 2 years and will cost over 11 billion euros. Serbia is negotiating with French companies. An option to buy 10% of the Hungarian Paks nuclear power plant is also being considered, novaekonomija.rs and danas.rs report.

Negotiations on the return of the Parthenon sculptures to Athens continue

London will not block an agreement with the British Museum for the return of the Parthenon sculptures to Greece, writes kathimerini.gr after a meeting between British PM Keir Starmer and his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis. During the official talks in London with a focus on bilateral relations, economic cooperation and the challenges of migration, Mitsotakis raised the issue of the sculptures again. They were removed from the Parthenon in the early 19th century by the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Lord Elgin, and according to Britain, this happened by virtue of a sultan's decree, the existence of which is disputed by Athens. Over half of the British support the return of the sculptures, according to a YouGov survey cited by the ANA-MPA agency.

Compiled by: Ivo Ivanov

Publication in English: Al. Markov

Photos: guernseypress.com, energycentral.com, БТА, vijesti.me, protothema.gr