The Dispatch

UPDATED: Erdogan skips Glasgow climate summit in security dispute

President Tayyip Erdogan cancelled plans to attend the global climate conference in Glasgow on Monday because Britain failed to meet Turkey's demands on security arrangements, Turkish media quoted him as…

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Photo Story: President of Republic of Malta George Vella visits Zagreb

President of Republic of Malta George Vella (L) inspects honour guards accompanied by Croatian President Zoran Milanovic (R) during his official visit in Zagreb, Croatia, 27 October 2021. President of…

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Bulgaria hits record high daily coronavirus cases, hospitals stretched

Bulgaria's tally of coronavirus infections has risen by 6,813 in the past 24 hours, a record daily increase as the European Union's least vaccinated country grapples with a fourth wave…

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Turkish Minister calls grey-listing decision ‘a political move’

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has lambasted the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for putting the country on the so-called grey-list, definiting as a political move. "We all know that…

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Turkey and West climb down from brink of biggest diplomatic crisis

Turkey and its Western allies climbed down from a full-blown diplomatic crisis on Monday after foreign embassies said that they abide by diplomatic conventions on non-interference, averting a threatened expulsion of 10 ambassadors.…

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Erdogan’s critics say expulsion call is diversion

President Tayyip Erdogan's political opponents said his call to expel the ambassadors of 10 Western allies was a bid to divert attention from Turkey's economic difficulties, while diplomats hoped the…

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Croatia’s right-wing eurosceptics seek referendum on euro adoption

ZAGREB, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Croatia's conservative and eurosceptic party Hrvatski Suverenisti (Croatian Sovereignists) began a two-week drive on Sunday to collect signatures in a bid to force a referendum…

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Turkey’s citizenship-for-homes sales hit roadblock

Record sales of homes to foreigners in Turkey, driven by a sharply falling currency and the promise of citizenship, are starting to slow after a new government rule aimed at…

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UPDATE – Turkey to expel U.S. envoy and nine others, Erdogan says

ISTANBUL, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he had told his foreign ministry to expel the ambassadors of the United States and nine other…

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Turkish defence minister warns against alliances that harm NATO

NATO-member Turkey's defence minister said the forming of alliances outside of NATO would harm the organisation, according to comments released on Saturday, after Greece and France agreed a defence pact…

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FATF ‘grey lists’ Turkey

An international watchdog downgraded Turkey to a so-called grey list for failing to head off money laundering and terrorist financing, a decision that could further erode foreign investment after a…

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Serbia introduces COVID-19 passes for indoor cafes and restaurants

Serbia will make a COVID-19 “health pass” mandatory for access to restaurants, cafes and bars in the evenings, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic announced, as the country struggles with persistently high…

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Bulgaria makes COVID ‘health pass’ obligatory for leisure activities

Bulgaria will make a COVID-19 "Green Certificate" mandatory for indoor access to restaurants, cinemas, gyms and shopping malls, the health minister said, as the country struggles with a rising number…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Van, Turkey

Turkish soldiers patrol with military vehicles next to a wall on the Turkey-Iran border line in Van city, Turkey. Turkey completed 63 km of the modular concrete wall, which it…

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Erdogan hopes for continued cooperation with post-Merkel Germany

Istanbul (dpa) - Turkey seeks to maintain good working relations with the upcoming new German government, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday in Istanbul. "I hope the successful work we have carried…

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Serbs say they will pull their region out of Bosnia’s army, judiciary, tax system

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, who advocates the secession of the Serb-dominated region from Bosnia, said that the Serb Republic will pull out of the Balkan country's armed forces, top…

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Croatia confirms migrant pushback

Croatia acknowledged that its police officers had participated in a violent pushback of migrants on the border with Bosnia, and Greece promised to investigate reports of similar action by its…

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Bulgarian police detain 3 foreigners after sensitive data goes missing at arms plant

Three senior foreign employees of Bulgaria's biggest weapons maker Arsenal have been arrested on suspicion of being involved in the disappearance of sensitive products and documents from the company's plant,…

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IKEA to shift more production to Turkey to shorten supply chain

Sweden's flat-pack furniture giant IKEA is planning to move more production to Turkey to minimise problems with global supply chains and increased shipping costs, the company's chief financial officer for…

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Turkey registers 29,802 new COVID-19 cases, highest since April 30

Turkey logged 29,802 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the highest number of daily infections since April 30, health ministry data showed, as Health Minister Fahrettin Koca urged citizens to get…

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Tensions simmer after Turkey sent off Maltese registered Cypriot vessel away from its continental shelf

Turkey sent a Greek Cypriot research vessel away from what it says is its continental shelf in the Mediterranean on Sunday after it entered the area without permission, Turkey's Defence…

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Serbs unblock roads in Kosovo as NATO moves to end car plate row

JARINJE, Kosovo - Serbs removed trucks and cars used to block the border with Kosovo on Saturday as NATO troops moved in under a European Union mediated deal to end…

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Bulgaria centre-right party endorses university rector for president

SOFIA, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's centre-right GERB party on Friday endorsed a university rector to run for president in a contest to be held in tandem with a parliamentary…

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Kosovo, Serbia agree deal to end border tensions

Kosovo agreed to withdraw police units from its northern border with Serbia to end a mounting dispute over vehicle licence plates that briefly escalated into violence and prompted NATO to…

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Partners or rivals? Russia and Turkey navigate awkward alliance

Turkey's defence purchases from Russia have alarmed Ankara's NATO partners but the two countries remain rivals in wars from the Middle East to the Caucasus, highlighting the faultlines running through…

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EU no longer agrees on Balkan membership guarantee, diplomats say

The European Union, fearing a political backlash in member states, can no longer agree to give a guarantee of future membership to the six Balkan countries once promised a place in the club,…

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Kosovo PM urges mutual car plate recognition with Serbia to ease tension

PRISTINA (Reuters) - Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Wednesday his country and neighbouring Serbia should start recognising each other's car licence plates to allow free movement of people…

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New centrist faction to run in Bulgaria’s third election this year

Popular former interim economy and finance ministers have set up a centrist political faction to compete in Bulgaria's third parliamentary election this year on pledges to tackle widespread corruption and…

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Turkish President Erdogan says to meet Greek PM in New York

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that he would meet Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly next week in New York.…

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Albania votes in its first female dominated government

Albania's parliament on Friday voted in the first cabinet to be dominated by women since the multi-party system was introduced 30 years ago. After a parliamentary session which lasted more…

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UPDATED: Bulgaria reappoints caretaker PM ahead of third election of 2021

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev reappointed caretaker premier Stefan Yanev on Thursday to lead an interim government until the country holds its third set of parliamentary elections this year on Nov.…

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Bulgarian president calls November 14 snap polls

President Rumen Radev has called Bulgaria's third parliamentary election this year for Nov. 14 after inconclusive polls in April and July failed to produce a government, the president's media office…

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Turkey logs highest cases of coronavirus since May 4

Turkey logged 27,802 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the highest number of daily infections since May 4, health ministry data showed, as Health Minister Fahrettin Koca urged people to get…

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Merkel sees long road for Western Balkan states to EU membership

Western Balkan states have a long way to go to achieve membership in the European Union but it is Germany's goal that they do, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday. At a joint news…

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Serbian protesters demand more action to stop industrial pollution

BELGRADE (Reuters) - About 2,000 protesters marched through Belgrade on Saturday to urge Serbia's government to do more to prevent industrial pollution, and some denounced plans by Anglo-Australian miner Rio…

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Bulgaria’s parliament approves 2021 budget changes ahead of polls

SOFIA, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's parliament approved on Saturday changes to the 2021 state budget aimed at shielding the country from an upsurge in coronavirus cases and woo struggling…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Beyobasi, Turkey

An Afghan migrant who is taking care of over 200 sheep of Bulent Sarioglu in Beyobasi village, Turkey. Afghans in Turkey amount to 400,000, making them the second largest group…

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Turkey jobless rate climbs to 12% in July as supports end

Turkey's unemployment rate rose to 12.0 percent in July from 10.6% a month earlier as pandemic-related labour supports expired, according to data on Friday that also showed an uptick in…

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Fire in North Macedonian COVID-19 hospital kills at least 10

At least 10 people were killed when a fire broke out in a makeshift hospital for COVID-19 patients in the North Macedonian town of Tetovo, the country's health minister said.…

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Bulgaria, EU’s least vaccinated nation, faces deadly surge

Bulgaria has one of the highest coronavirus death rates in the 27-nation European Union and is facing a new, rapid surge of infections due to the more infectious delta variant.…

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Turkey optimistic inflation will drop below 10% by end of 2022

Turkey expects inflation to fall to 16.2% by the end of the year and hit 9.8% by the end of 2022, according to government forecasts published late on Sunday that…

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Dozens injured in anti-Serbian protests in Montenegro

Montenegro police used teargas against rock-throwing protesters during Sunday’s enthronement of a Serbian Orthodox Church cleric as the nation’s religious leader, with dozens reported injured. The enthronement of Joanikije II…

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Austria and Serbia vow to stop Afghan refugees entering Europe

The leaders of Austria and Serbia have met to discuss stopping Afghan refugees from entering Europe. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said that Afghanistan's neighbours should accept the refugees instead. He…

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Montenegro police fire teargas at protesters incensed over cleric’s enthronement

Montenegro police used teargas to disperse hundreds of people protesting against the enthronement of a Serbian Orthodox Church cleric as the nation’s religious leader on Sunday, a ceremony that has…

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Turkish hotels to close early after UK ‘red list’ dashes hopes

ISTANBUL, Sept 3 (Reuters) - When Britain announced Turkey would stay on its "red list" of travel destinations last week, Onur Arican decided to close his boutique hotel on the…

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Bulgaria imposes new restrictions to curb surge in COVID cases

Restaurants and bars in Bulgaria will have to close at 10 p.m. from Sept. 7, while indoor sports competitions will be held without spectators, the health minister said on Thursday,…

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Kosovo to destroy 133,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines

The Kosovo government decided to destroy 133,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines over their expired date of use as the country faces a sharp rise in the coronavirus death rate. The vaccines…

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Turkey and Cyprus monitor ‘oil sheen’ after Syria leak

Authorities in Turkey and Cyprus are on alert for any potential pollution from a 'sheen' of fuel floating across the Mediterranean from a spill in Syria, officials said. Fuel which…

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UPDATED: Bulgaria to hold presidential election on Nov.14

Bulgaria will hold a presidential election on Nov. 14, lawmakers decided on Thursday, as the politically fractured country also gears up for a snap parliamentary election likely to take place…

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Turkey says it cannot take on new refugee burden

Turkey cannot take the burden of a new migrant wave from Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday after talks with his German counterpart, as concerns about a new…

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Croatia’s economy expands 16.1% in second quarter after COVID plunge

Croatia's gross domestic product (GDP) rose by a record 16.1% year on year in the second quarter of 2021, after contracting in each of the past four quarters because of…

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Turkey’s COVID-19 deaths up to mid-May levels as new cases dip

Turkey reported 244 new coronavirus-related deaths on Friday, near the highest level since mid-May, while new cases dipped to 18,340, according to official government data. The rise in daily COVID-19…

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Montenegro seizes over a tonne of cocaine in bananas shipment

Montenegro police said on Friday they had seized over than a tonne of cocaine, their biggest ever drug bust, concealed in a shipment of bananas and also arrested two people.…

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Serbia closes largest unmanaged landfill in Europe

Serbia closed its huge Vinca landfill, almost three weeks after acrid smoke engulfed the capital Belgrade following a fire at the site, the Tanjug news agency reported, citing Irena Vujovic,…

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Bulgaria’s Socialists try to form unlikely government

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev asked the Socialist party on Friday to try to form a government, despite a slim chance of success, in a bid to avoid a third general…

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Plane carrying evacuated Afghans in transit to U.S. arrives in Albania

A plane carrying 121 people evacuated from Afghanistan and in transit to the United States arrived in Albania’s Tirana airport early of Friday. Passengers included babies, children and people in…

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Turkey reinforces border to block any Afghan migrant wave

Afghans who manage to make the weeks-long journey through Iran on foot to the Turkish border face a three-metre high wall, ditches or barbed wire as Turkish authorities step up…

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