Compiled by Eva Jovanova and Hristo Voynov
1. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov was welcomed with a hug by Putin at the beginning of their visit on Wednesday. This was their third meeting, though the last time they met was in 2010 when they had two big energy project on their agenda. The topic of energy was the main focus of their discussion on Wednesday as well, as the projects might be renewed. Last week, the Bulgarian government announced that it might continue the construction of the Belene nuclear power plant which was canceled in 2010, and there are also rumors that the construction of the South Stream pipeline, which was terminated in 2014 due to the Crimea crisis, might be restarted.
2. Tensions between Ukraine and Russia have been shown in two major ways this week. First, a Russian journalist was said to have been fatally shot in Kiev, only for him to show up the next day in a press conference. It was revealed that his death was staged to foil a plot to kill him, allegedly paid for by Russian forces. But more importantly, Ukraine’s national oil and gas company, Naftogaz, is starting proceedings to seize assets of its Russian counterpart, Gazprom, in Europe to make up the $2.6 billion awarded to it by the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce. While this decision is not respected in Russia, the ability to legally take over assets outside of its jurisdiction (such as in this case) is one of the toughest legal sanctions that the West can use against Russia.
3. As the UN mediator announced last week that the issues between Macedonia and Greece regarding the name change had “narrowed”, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the two countries met in Brussels and claimed that the negotiations had reached their “final stage”. This Wednesday, the Prime Minister of Macedonia, Zoran Zaev in a speech in front of the government building reiterated their words and announced a referendum this autumn on a potential new name. Whatever this “final stage” might mean, the public in Macedonia will have the opportunity to give their opinion whether to put an end to the tiresome issue that had beset the country since its independence and change its name or not.
4. Czech President Milos Zeman plans to officially name Andrej Babis as the country’s prime minister while the government’s future remains uncertain. The constant coalition efforts since the parliamentary elections have been long drawn out and Babis’ party, ANO, has its main partners, the Social Democrats, but whether or not the SD are able to get their rank and file to support the coalition is a major question which will be determined in the coming weeks. If Babis is named PM and cannot form a coalition, early elections are likely, as ANO has no plan B if these talks do not work out. Issues between ANO and both its potential partners appear to be arising, with the SDs nominating a cabinet member that the president opposes in exchange for support, and the Communists, observing supporters of the coalition, threatening to pull out support over an increase in troops abroad last week.
5. Croatian police opened fire on a van smuggling migrants over the Croatian-Bosnian border. This was very unfortunate for two migrant children, who suffered gunshot wounds. The van counted 29 people, among who there were the two children, together with other injured migrants, both from the gunshots and from the reckless driving, as the van driver jumped off the vehicle after the first shots were fired.
6. Hungarian President Viktor Orban is starting to take advantage of his supermajority to push forward FIDESZ’ party agenda. While the ‘Stop Soros’ package of laws will certainly be passed, what is more significant is the constitutional amendments that are being proposed as well. Constitutional amendments are not new in Hungary, the last of which were only 5 years ago. But this time, FIDESZ can unilaterally change the constitution without any concerns for what other parties may think. Two of the three proposed changes revolve around refugees, which is no surprise, while the last is regarding privacy.
7. Serbian MPs from the ruling party appointed Sinisa Mali, the former mayor of Belgrade, as the new Minister of Finance. Mr. Mali is said to be the extended arm of Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia’s President. Many finance experts and journalists expressed harsh criticism, claiming that the appointment would be disastrous. Mr. Mali, while serving as a mayor of the Serbian capital, was investigated by the investigative network for crime and corruption in Serbia (KRIK) and is said to have bought more than 20 apartments on the Bulgarian coast, and to be responsible for the vandalism in Savamala in 2017, when buildings were overnight destroyed by masked men.
8. With all of the problems in Ukraine, outside players are seeking to be more involved in finding a solution, or at least finding terms that fit their interests. Poland’s Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz called for UN peacekeeping forces to enter the country, which isn’t a new idea. However, Czaputowicz was speaking in front of the UN Security Council which gives it more gravitas. Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said that Russia is ready for a compromise, but did not elaborate on what would be compromised, which is the hardest part. The more unusual outside power is Hungary, which has complained regularly about Ukraine’s treatment of Hungarian minorities. In the same UNSC meeting, Hungary’s Foreign Minister proposed an intergovernmental working group to help guide Ukraine’s education laws which limit teaching in languages other than Ukrainian. Similarly, Hungary has started advocating within NATO that Ukraine is not fulfilling its obligations to the group in promised reforms, an issue that may grow to be a thorn in Ukraine’s side.
9. Bosnia and Hercegovina signed an agreement with China to waive visas for ordinary tourists. The country is hopeful that this will attract many tourists from China, which might give the Balkan country an economic boost. According to the Bosnian Minister of Tourism, around 17.000 Chinese tourists entered Bosnia and Hercegovina last year. The first Balkan country to waive visas for Chinese tourists was Serbia, with an agreement last year.
10. Negotiations between Moldova and its breakaway region of Transnistria begin a new round in Italy. They will include the usual 5 + 2 format, which features representatives from Moldova, Transdnestria, Russia, Ukraine, and the OSCE as the main parties but also the U.S. and the EU. These talks have been going on for a long time and have helped to reduce tension between the two entities, but have had trouble finding ways to move forward from the conflict. These come right after formal complaints from Moldova regarding checkpoints that have been set up in the security zone of Transdnestria, which it says are for policing purposes.
0 comments