Compiled by: Hristo Voynov and Kristijan Fidanovski
1. The 19km bridge connecting Russia to Crimea has officially been opened, with President Vladimir Putin leading the inaugural convoy across the bridge. Upon opening, it has received high levels of traffic. The bridge is the only land route connecting the two, and its construction sends a message to the West that Russia is committed to its decision in taking Crimea, even in the face of major sanctions designed to convince it to reverse on the decision.
2. In a resounding triumph for Macedonia’s foreign policy, UK Prime Minister Theresa May made an official visit to Skopje. This is the first official visit of a British prime minister to the country since Tony Blair’s visit in 1999. The contrast with Blair’s visit is striking: while Mr Blair’s visit came in the midst of the Kosovo crisis, May’s visit was an unwavering demonstration of support for Macedonia’s integration into the EU and NATO and an unambiguous acknowledgment of recent positive developments in the country.
3. There is blowback from Czechian PM Milos Zeman’s statements regarding the production of novichok, the chemical weapon used to kill the Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in England. Zeman is accused of spreading misleading information, along with threatening Czechia’s security by releasing classified information regarding military research and procedures regarding chemical weapons. While this may hurt Zeman’s reputation, this effect won’t matter until the next elections, which are 5 years from now. However, the internal repercussions are being seen, as the head of the Military Research Institute has been sacked for undisclosed reasons which are assumed to be (at least partially) connected to this incident. In seemingly unrelated news, the civilian intelligence services chief may soon be fired, and the Prague police chief who supported the investigation into PM Andrej Babis may be transferred to another, less influential department.
4. Three Balkan countries, Romania, Albania, and Macedonia, embarrassed themselves by attending an Israeli celebration of the moving of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Washington’s reckless move caused widespread protests in Gaza, which were brutally shut down by Israeli authorities, who murdered dozens of innocent people. The presence of the three Balkan countries at the celebration was at odds with the recent UN resolution denouncing the embassy move. Macedonia and Albania had voted for the resolution themselves, while Romania had abstained.
5. Moldova has been accepted as an observer state within the Eurasian Economic Union. The EEU started as an economic union of former Soviet Union republics and while there has been much talk of expanding the structure to closer match similar transnational unions, this has yet to happen. This will surely help Moldova, one of Europe’s poorest countries. However, it is also likely to further strain its government and society, which has been split between its historical ties to Russia and its attempt to liberalize its society and economy towards the EU.
6. While the upcoming rally by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sarajevo may be politically problematic, it is also expected to be highly profitable for the local population. Hoteliers, car rentals and tour agencies expect to make a sizeable profit, especially since the rally is conveniently timed to precede Ramadan and thus serve as a quick vacation before the long fasting period begins. Erdogan decided to address the Turkish diaspora in Sarajevo in light of the upcoming Turkish elections, after he was denied permission by a number of West European states to hold his rally there.
7. Hungarian PM Viktor Orban has won a major battle with George Soros and his Open Society Foundation. After agitating against it for years, his legal efforts to end the organization have finally worked as the foundation announced that it is planning on moving its Budapest office into Berlin. The direct cause of the decision is a proposed bill to limit NGO funding from outside of Hungary, which many similar ‘illiberal’ democracies have, which would make paying for local staff and programs very difficult. The Open Society Foundation stated that it is interested in maintaining some of its efforts in the country, but exactly how it will do this while pulling out is uncertain.
8. Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras announced a breakthrough in the negotiations over the name dispute. The two prime ministers stated that a potential solution had been agreed on, but the resolution of the dispute is still uncertain ahead of domestic consultations in both countries. Macedonia is in a hurry to put the issue to bed in light of the opportunity for joining NATO and getting a date for accession talks with the EU in the summer.
9. Poland and EU ties have another difficult week. Poland’s public complaints regarding refugee quotas continued, around the same time as complaining about budget cuts that will greatly limit programs that disproportionately benefit Poland.This shows the problems within the EU; nations want the benefits but without the drawbacks. When asked about the Article 7 procedure against Poland, Frans Timmermans, Vice-President of the European Commission, stated that it will not be withdrawn. While there are efforts to find a compromise, they have been continuously ongoing for a while, and have yielded few results.
10. An ethnically Serbian policeman from Kosovo was acquitted of four murders and other crimes against ethnic Albanians that had taken place in 1999. The defendant insisted that he had not even heard of the crimes, and given the lack of convincing evidence, the judge ruled in his favor. Given that the country’s judiciary is still assisted by international experts, the prosecutor on the case was from the United States.
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