Mickovski has a mandate to form government in North Macedonia

VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickovski has a mandate until June 24 to present to the parliament the composition and program of the new government of North Macedonia, BTA reports. He submitted to parliament a draft bill for a new structure of the cabinet, reorganization of the ministries and creation of new portfolios. On May 9, the day after the extraordinary elections, VMRO-DPMNE began negotiations to form a cabinet with the coalition of Albanian parties VLEN. Negotiations are also underway with the ZNAM movement, which broke away from the socialists. The leader of the largest Albanian party DSI, Ali Ahmeti, said that the refusal of Mickovski to include them in the new government violated the Ohrid Agreement, according to which the largest party of the Macedonian bloc forms a coalition with the largest party of the Albanian bloc in the country.

Slovenia becomes the 13th EU country to recognize the Palestinian state

The Slovenian parliament approved the recognition of an independent Palestinian state. Ljubljana followed the example of Spain, Ireland and Norway. Previously, the Slovenian Democratic Party of former Prime Minister Janez Janša submitted a proposal to convene a consultative referendum on the case. So the vote had to be postponed for 30 days. Contrary to all expectations, Parliament Speaker Urška Klakočar Zupančič pushed through the proposal to reject the referendum in a chaotic six-hour session, which was interrupted several times. Croatia is "absolutely for the recognition of the Palestinian state, but only when it can be implemented," Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić-Radman said. 13 out of the 27 countries in the EU recognize the state of Palestine. 8 of them, including Bulgaria, have recognised Palestine before becoming members, rtvslo.si reports.

Italy has started detaining illegal migrants in Albania

Italy has taken control of a new migrant hotspot in the Albanian port city of Shengjin. The place was visited by the Italian and Albanian Prime Ministers Giorgia Meloni and Edi Rama. Italy will open in Albania two more hotspots for migrants and a center for their detention before repatriation, paying Tirana 34 million euros for them annually. They will serve 3,000 migrants and refugees each month who have not reached Italy and are rescued by Italian vessels at sea. Meloni went to Albania to thank the country for agreeing to host thousands of asylum seekers for the next five years while Italy processes their applications, ATA said. Rama said the deal was a sign of gratitude on behalf of the Albanians who took refuge in Italy, who were "fleeing hell and dreaming of a better life", after 1990.

Turkey backs Athens' demand for return of the Parthenon Sculptures

Turkey intervened surprisingly and supported Greece's efforts to receive the "Elgin Marbles" back from the United Kingdom, the "Daily Telegraph" reported. The Greek government claims Lord Elgin stole the ancient sculptures from Athens in the 19th century, while British Museum bosses say he had written legal permission to take them. Turkey's position was expressed at a UNESCO meeting when Greece once again demanded that the British Museum returns to Athens the sculptures created 2,500 years ago. Zeynep Boz, a representative of Turkey's Ministry of Culture, told UNESCO that “Turkish historians are not aware of any document legitimizing the purchase of the sculptures by the colonial power at that time". "To remain silent would mean to recognize the British claims," the Turkish representative said.

Romania has accused a fashion house of illegally copying national women's blouse

The Romanian Ministry of Culture wants the French fashion company Louis Vuitton to recognize the heritage and cultural value of the Romanian traditional embroidered women's blouse from the Sibiu region. It has been declared a World Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. The organization "La Blouse roumaine" signalled that in the new collection of the fashion house there are shirts inspired by the Romanian ones, but without mentioning the origin and without the consent of the guardians of this heritage. "If a Romanian designer had copied their product, it would have been a scandal. The opposite is just inspiration," one of the comments on Facebook reads. The blouses of the fashion house were designed by Nicolas Ghesquière, who draws inspiration from various traditions. The price of one blouse is over 5,000 dollars, Digi24 writes .

Compiled by: Ivo Ivanov

Publication in English: Al. Markov

Photos: EPA/BGNES apnews.com, telegraph.co.uk