Oliver Varhelyi: North Macedonia must succeed on its path towards the EU in June

North Macedonia must succeed on its path towards the EU in June, Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi said at the Open Balkans Summit in Ohrid in response to a question whether North Macedonia and Albania could be separated on their European path. “We will not leave any stone unturned to finish this”, Oliver Varhelyi said before he left for Sofia.

Bulgaria’s politicians told Varhelyi in Sofia that Bulgaria would lift the veto on North Macedonia only if this country complies with the terms under Good Neighbor Agreement. Meanwhile, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on the European Council to agree to start the process to revise the EU treaties, which includes the abolition of veto powers, BNR’s correspondent Angelina Piskova reported.

Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan to run in next year’s presidential elections

Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan said he would run in next year’s presidential vote as a candidate of the People’s Alliance. According to Turkish analysts, Kemal Kalicdaroglu, leader of Turkey’s main opposition (The Republican People’s Party), is also expected to run at next year’s presidential elections.

According to a sociological survey, quoted by the BTA, the approval ratings of the Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu and Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş are higher than the approval rating of the current head of state. However, the two have not yet announced whether they would participate at the presidential vote. The founder of the Young Party Cem Uzan, who was handed a prison sentence and received political refuge in France, will also run at the presidential elections, the opposition newspaper Sözcü announced.

Edi Rama: “Open Balkans” is the groom, the EU is the bride

“The Open Balkans aims to “build Europe here” and when Brussels wants to accept new members, the countries will be ready. Open Balkans are the groom and the EU is the bride”, Albania’s Premier Edi Rama said at the Open Balkans Summit in Ohrid, North Macedonia. In his words, the war in Ukraine has made the Open Balkans even more necessary for mutual support, because the conflict in Ukraine may spill over into the Balkans.

More than 11,000 migrants have sought asylum in Cyprus since the beginning of 2022

Cyprus has received more than 11,000 asylum applications in the first five months of 2022 and seeks help from the EU to relocate the illegal migrants. “Asylum seekers have reached 5% of the country’s population, which is an excessive burden that we cannot carry on our own”, Minister of Interior Nikos Nouris said in Parliament. He noted that 150,000 asylum seekers are expected to arrive in the five frontline EU member states- Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Spain and Malta. Cyprus calls for political solidarity and asylum seeker relocation among the EU member states, BNR’s correspondent Branislava Bobanac reported.

Foreign nationals show interest in buying real estate properties on the Greek islands

Foreign nationals show big interest in buying real estate properties on the Greek islands, despite the high prices. British, French and Italian citizens want to buy homes or villas for rent. They are actively looking for land or houses on the islands of Tinos, Andros and Syros. The Greek nationals living abroad show interest in buying properties on the islands of Rhodes, Cephalonia and Zakynthos, in order to invest their money.

Santorini and Mykonos are preferred by wealthy clients. According to a real estate agency, luxurious properties in Mykonos cost between EUR 6,000 and 8,000 per square meter. Some of them are even sold for EUR 10,000 per square meter. During the Covid-19 pandemic, many foreign nationals spend more than a year on these islands. As a result, they decided to invest their money there, BNR’s correspondent Katya Peeva reported.

Compiled by: Miglena Ivanova

English version: Kostadin Atanasov