Balkan developments

published on 8/15/25 12:40 PM

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic talks of early parliamentary elections

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he cannot run for office again in the next election and that "it would not even occur to him" to change the constitution to do so, BTA reports. Vucic was first elected president in 2017. He was re-elected for a second term in 2022, which expires in 2027. The Serbian president added that he would schedule parliamentary elections, possibly before the legal deadline, and that the elections would show "what the people will say and who will win."

The statement came after another night of protests and unrest in Novi Sad, Belgrade and other major cities. During the clashes, supporters of the ruling Progressive Party attacked the protesters.

Albanian authorities shut down independent TV channel

On August 11, 2025, the News24 news channel in Albania was closed and stopped broadcasting on the personal order of Prime Minister Edi Rama, BGNES reported. The premises of Focus Media Group, which houses the editorial offices of News24, BalkanWeb, Panorama and Gazeta Shqiptare, were surrounded at dawn and the electricity was cut off. Journalists were not allowed to go to their workplaces. The authorities cited a property dispute after the transfer of part of the complex to a state-owned enterprise, but did not show a court decision.

News 24 is the third channel, after Agon Channel and Ora News, to be closed under Edi Rama's rule. Opposition leader Sali Berisha described the action as a "primitive act of political revenge" for silencing "one of the last independent media outlets in the country".

Greece to use bracelets to track migrants without residence permits

A new draft law in Greece provides for electronic tracking of migrants without residence permits, reported BNR correspondent in the country Katya Peeva. Migrants denied asylum will be tracked with an ankle bracelet. They will then be forcibly returned to their countries of citizenship. This was stated by Migration Minister Thanos Plevris on the occasion of a new draft law that the parliament will vote on in September. The presence of illegal migrants in the country is already being criminalized.

According to Minister Plevris, the stay of migrants without a residence permit will result in mandatory imprisonment for failure to comply with a deportation order.

At the same time, the government is also considering a bonus of 2,000 euros if migrants agree to be deported voluntarily.

Direct train now connects Bucharest with Kiev

Ukraine will celebrate Romanian Language Day every year on August 31. This was announced by Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu in the Ukrainian city of Chernivtsi, where she participated in a meeting with her colleagues from Moldova and Ukraine - Mihai Popsoi and Andriy Sibiga, AGERPRES agency reported.

The Romanian first diplomat also stressed that Romania and Ukraine have committed to completing work on the new bridge between Sighetu Marmației and Bila Tserkva over the Tisa River by December 15. She also welcomed the launch of a direct train between Kiev and Bucharest, which passes through Moldova.

Toiu also met with representatives of the Romanian community in the Chernivtsi region. There are over 180,000 Ukrainian citizens in Ukraine who speak Romanian.

A museum of Turkish migration is being created at the Orient Express station in Istanbul

One of the most beautiful buildings in the center of Istanbul - the historic Sirkeci station - is temporarily closed for renovation. The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced that the restoration will restore the original appearance of the roof, facade, interior and stained glass windows.

The station, which was the first and last stop of the iconic Orient Express, includes an old hotel and restaurant where famous people stayed. Built in 1890 during the Belle Époque, the station is in the Ottoman Baroque style mixed with the then fashionable Art Nouveau.

Considered a gateway between the Orient and Europe, Sirkeci will house a new migration museum in addition to the current railway museum. It was from there in the 1960s that thousands of Turks left to work in Western Europe.

Edited by Ivo Ivanov
English version: R. Petkova
Photos: TANJUG, albaniantimes.al, en.rua.gr, facebook.com/OanaToiuUSR, hurriyetdailynews.com, en.wikipedia.org

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