Erdoğan–Pashinyan meeting: A new attempt at a breakthrough in Turkish-Armenian relations

Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Istanbul. The meeting took place against the backdrop of the lack of diplomatic relations between Turkiye and Armenia and a closed land border. The talks focused on the possibilities for normalizing relations between the two countries, reported BTA.

Recep Erdoğan emphasized that Turkiye is ready to support Armenia’s peace efforts with Azerbaijan. For his part Nikol Pashinyan wrote on X that "Armenia remains committed to building peace and stability in our region."

TRT Global reported that during his ''historic'' visit to Istanbul, Pashinyan visited the Armenian Apostolic Church ''the Holy Mother of God'' and the grand Sultan Ahmed Mosque. He also met with members of the Armenian community in Istanbul.

Turkiye officially recognized Armenia's independence on December 24, 1991. However, the two countries do not have diplomatic relations. In 1993, Turkiye closed its border with Armenia in support of its ally Azerbaijan during the Nagorno-Karabakh war. Later, the air border opened but the land border remained closed. A normalization process through special envoys was initiated in 2021. Opening the border with Turkiye would bring significant economic benefits to Armenia, including access to larger markets, increased investment and expanded trade routes. Turkiye has expressed its readiness to reopen the border if relations between Baku and Yerevan are normalized.

Romania with a new Prime Minister and old problems: Can Bolojan address the budget deficit?

The leader of the National Liberal Party Ilie Bolojan is the new Prime Minister of Romania. He was appointed following weeks of intense and difficult negotiations between the president, the leaders and experts of the four pro-European parties in the Romanian Parliament: the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party, Save Romania Union, and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania, reported Radio Romania International. Although the new cabinet enjoys broad support in parliament, its term is expected to be difficult. The government’s main task will be to reduce the country’s 9% budget deficit — the highest in the EU — and to meet voters' high expectations for fighting corruption, noted Radio Free Europe’s Bulgarian Service. Bolojan is known for his tendency to make tough and even unpopular decisions. He has a reputation as a pragmatic politician and a reformer. As mayor of Oradea from 2008 to 2020, he reduced the town’s budget by nearly 30%, cut the number of employees in the local public administration by almost a third and succeeded in modernizing the city’s infrastructure.

Greece introduces tougher penalties against dangerous driving

A new Road Traffic Code has come into force in Greece with the aim of reducing traffic accidents and dangerous driving behavior, reported ''O Chronos''.

The changes introduce a number of tougher penalties and control measures, including electronic notifications, suspension of driver license and video surveillance via cameras installed in bus lanes. Controls have been stepped up not only in major cities but also on the islands, especially in tourist areas where the risk of accidents is traditionally higher.

Between June 12 and 16 alone, more than 16,000 inspections were carried out in the Attica region, during which over 1,600 traffic violations were registered. The most common offenses included driving without a seat belt, using a mobile phone while driving and speeding, reported the BNR’s correspondent in Greece, Katya Peeva.

EXIT 2025 to be held in Serbia for the last time

The 25th edition of one of Europe’s largest music festivals, EXIT, will be held for the last time in Serbia from July 10 to 13 at its traditional venue - the Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad. After that, the festival will leave the country. The reason is the suspended financial support from the state after the festival expressed support for Serbian students protesting against corruption, BTA reported. ''Ever since we publicly stood with the students of Serbia in their fight for a freer and more just society, we have been subjected to immense financial and political pressures aimed at stripping us of our fundamental rights to freedom of thought and expression'', said the organizers.

EXIT founder Dušan Kovačević announced that talks are underway to hold the festival under the name "EXIT in Exile" starting in 2026. Invitations have already been received from Germany, several Balkan countries and Egypt. In 2024, EXIT was attended by 210,000 visitors from more than 80 countries.

Published and translated by Kostadin Atanasov

Photos: @NikolPashinyan/X, EPA/BGNES, tovima.com, exitfest.org