Balkan developments

published on 5/10/24 10:51 AM

Photo: BGNES

Edi Rama seeks Athens venue to meet Albanian diaspora

All parties in Greece have said that a visit by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama to Athens is undesirable. On 12 May, Rama plans to meet with the Albanian diaspora, reports BNR's correspondent in Greece, Katya Peeva. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the visit was not at the invitation of the Greek government, but he would not ban it. The opposition is calling for the visit to be cancelled over the arrest of Fredi Beleri - an Albanian-Greek elected mayor of the city of Himara in Albania. All attempts by Greek diplomacy to secure his release have been in vain. The ruling New Democracy party has included him on its list of candidates for the European Parliament and he is expected to become an MEP.

Athens has invited Rama to visit Greece after the European elections on 9 June. Greek media have reported that the authorities are creating obstacles for Rama to find a hall for the meeting with the Albanian diaspora.

North Macedonia elects first woman president

Gordana Siljanovska, supported by the VMRO-DPMNE, will be the first female president of North Macedonia. Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, a 70-year-old law professor won the presidential run-off with almost 65% of the vote. Siljanovska defeated incumbent leader Stevo Pendarovski by more than 308,000 votes, MIA reported.

In parallel early parliamentary elections on 8 May, the incumbent opposition nationalist party VMRO-DPMNE won 59 seats in the 120-member National Assembly. The Albanian European Front coalition came second with 19 seats. The incumbent ruling Social Democratic Party (SDSM) came third with 18 seats. The alternative Albanian coalition VLEN "Worth It" has 13 MPs. Levica and ZNAM, which split from the SDSM, each won 6 seats. Voter turnout was over 46%. The VMRO-DPMNE campaigned on promises to revise relations with Bulgaria and to increase money for pensioners and civil servants.

People with Bulgarian passports in North Macedonia voted for both the ruling party and the opposition

Chinese leader visited Serbia on his European tour

Chinese President Xi Jinping came to Belgrade to promote the "New Silk Road". Beijing's aim is to maintain a long-term strategy of "preparing China for a post-American future Europe", Belgrade's Beta news agency reported, citing BTA. Speaking at Nikola Tesla Airport, Xi said that "the iron friendship between Serbia and China has taken deeper roots in the hearts of the two peoples". The free trade agreement between Serbia and China will take effect on 1 July, the guest said at a press conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. China is ready to import higher quality agricultural products from Serbia, and the country is welcome to increase direct flights between Belgrade and Chinese cities. 28 memorandums of cooperation were signed. The purchase of 9 high-speed trains from China's CRRC has also been agreed.

Vienna wants Austrian convicts to serve their sentences in Kosovo

Austria also wants to rent a prison in Kosovo where prisoners from outside Europe can serve their sentences. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner has discussed the idea with Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard. "Detention facilities like those planned by Denmark in Kosovo are also part of Chancellor Karl Nehammer's Austrian plan," Karner was quoted as saying by Politico's European edition. In 2021. Denmark has signed an agreement with Kosovo to rent a prison near Pristina. For 210 million euros over 10 years, 300 prisoners sentenced to deportation will be transferred to serve their sentences in Kosovo. The plans are still on hold, however, as the agreement has not been ratified by the Kosovo parliament.

Turkey converts Byzantine church, under UNESCO protection, into mosque

The decision by the Turkish authorities to open the Chora Temple in Istanbul as a Muslim place of worship is a provocation to the international community, the Greek Foreign Ministry said, as quoted by ANA-MPA. The Church of Christ the Saviour in Chora, also known as the Kariye Mosque, was built in the 4th century and rebuilt in the 11th and 12th centuries. It is famous for its 14th century mosaics and frescoes. The temple was converted into a mosque at the beginning of the 16th century and was declared a museum in 1945. The decision to restore its status as a mosque was taken in 2020, after the famous St Sophia temple in Istanbul was also converted into a mosque. The US State Department reiterated its long-standing position and called on Turkey to ensure access to the monuments of the various religious communities that have been converted into mosques.

Compiled by Ivo Ivanov

Translated and posted by Elizabeth Radkova

Photos: BGNES

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