Balkan developments

Turkey urges Russia and Ukraine not to attack civilian ships in the Black Sea

“By strictly complying with the Montreux Convention, we have restrained the spread of the war in the Black Sea, but in recent days the mutual attacks have turned into a serious threat to security in the Black Sea. We are issuing clear warnings to both sides,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a speech to the country’s ambassadors.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told TRT World that the security risks in the Black Sea began with drifting sea mines that threatened navigation through the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. Fidan stressed that the Turkish military is working in close cooperation with regional partners Romania and Bulgaria to manage the growing risks to navigation, and warned that “regional escalation is very dangerous and may not remain here, but could spread to different parts of Europe.”

Nicosia invites Ankara to direct dialogue on the Cyprus issue

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides has invited Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to a meeting on the Cyprus issue, demonstrating readiness to renew dialogue. In an extensive interview with Le Figaro, Christodoulides said he is ready to meet Erdoğan “if Turkey is ready,” emphasizing that diplomacy and negotiations remain the only way to overcome the island’s long-standing division.

He described as positive the fact that the new leader of the Turkish Cypriots has not publicly supported a two-state solution, and once again stated that the only sustainable framework remains the bi-communal federation envisaged by the UN. He recalled that Turkey remains the only country that does not recognize Cyprus, despite both sides’ membership in international organizations and Ankara’s ambitions to join the EU.

Athens calls on Skopje to adhere to the name North Macedonia

“The Prespa Agreement of 2018, which resolved the dispute with Greece over the name of the Republic of North Macedonia, is part of the constitution in Skopje and is fully binding for both sides, both internationally and domestically,” Greece’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, quoted by ANA-MPA.

Athens has noted that “there are no de facto situations in international agreements; their application is uniform and universal. Progress in bilateral relations with North Macedonia and the unhindered continuation of the country’s EU accession process require strict compliance with the agreements and respect for good-neighborly relations.”

The statement came in response to North Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, who said that in practice he has restored the use of the name “Macedonia” domestically.

The EU has welcomed Serbia for keeping European integration as its strategic goal, but stressed that Belgrade must more clearly demonstrate this orientation through concrete actions and political messages, Serbian television N1 reported. This is stated in the conclusions of the last meeting for 2025 of the EU’s General Affairs Council in Brussels, which note that for now no new cluster of accession negotiations will be opened. The document also emphasizes the need for Belgrade to strengthen good-neighborly relations and regional cooperation.

Due to the blocking of negotiations with the EU, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić did not travel to Brussels for the annual EU-Western Balkans summit. Minister for European Integration Nemanja Starović said that in this way Vučić had “defended the dignity of our people.”

Slovenia has extended the temporary controls introduced on 21 October 2023 along its borders with Croatia and Hungary for another six months - until 21 June 2026, 24ur.com reported. At border crossing points with Croatia and Hungary, police will carry out checks to prevent terrorism, extremism, and other crime. Slovenian authorities assure that the measures will not negatively affect residents of border areas, passenger movement, economic transport, or the environment.

Slovenia decided to extend border controls due to threats to internal security stemming from the Winter Olympic Games in Italy, terrorist threats and organized crime, the risk of terrorists mixing with migrants, hybrid threats from Russia and Belarus, and instability in countries neighboring the EU.

Edited by Ivo Ivanov
English version: R. Petkova