The Dispatch

Russia offers to mediate in any Cyprus-Turkey talks over Med energy exploration

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Cyprus on Tuesday that Moscow was ready to help mediate in any talks with Turkey as tensions simmer over energy exploration in the Mediterranean…

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Greece plans to strengthen military as tension with Turkey rise

Greece plans to acquire arms, boost its armed forces and revamp its defence industry, the government's spokesman said on Monday, as tensions with NATO ally Turkey over energy resources in…

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Photo story: Schools open in Croatia

Students wearing face masks sit in their class at school in Zagreb, Croatia, 07 September 2020. Croatian authorities decided to open all schools despite of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic situation in…

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Moscow compares Serbian President to Sharon Stone in ‘Basic Instinct’

Serbia’s president accused Moscow of stooping to “primitivism and vulgarity” in an attack on him, after Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman compared him to the actor Sharon Stone in an explicit…

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Turkey’s Erdogan says East Mediterranean is test of EU’s sincerity

President Tayyip Erdogan told European Council President Charles Michel on Sunday the EU's stance towards the East Mediterranean would be a test of its sincerity, calling on it to take…

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Thousands protest against pro-Serb rallies in Montenegro

Thousands gathered in Montenegro’s capital Podgorica on Sunday evening waving national flags to protest against the use of Serbian national symbols by opposition parties that won elections last week. Participants…

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Serbia and Kosovo sign deal to normalise economic relations

Former foes Kosovo and Serbia agreed Friday to normalise economic relations in a US-brokered deal that the administration of President Donald Trump touted as a major diplomatic success — but…

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Bulgarian ruling party vows to stay in power after violent protests

Bulgaria’s coalition government will not bend to pressure and resign after one of the largest anti-government protests in the past two months turned violent, a senior member of the ruling…

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Turkey at second peak of coronavirus outbreak

Turkey is experiencing the second peak of its novel coronavirus outbreak, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Wednesday, while the government announced new restrictions on weddings and other social gatherings…

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Montenegro’s president accuses Serbia of meddling in election

Montenegro’s President Milo Djukanovic has accused neighbouring Serbia of waging “media and political aggression” ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary vote in which his pro-Western party suffered a major setback. Djukanovic’s Democratic…

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Scuffles during anti-government protests in Bulgaria

Thousands of Bulgarians rallied in front of the parliament in Sofia on Wednesday in one of the biggest protests so far in two months of demonstrations calling for the resignation…

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Borissov to face new pressure from Bulgarians

Boyko Borissov’s premiership faces a major test on Wednesday when mass protests are planned across Bulgaria amid a corruption crisis that is starting to trigger concern in Berlin and Brussels.…

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Turkish Airlines slashes wages to overcome coronavirus but avoids layoffs -union

Turkish Airlines will sharply cut wages of its crews and groundstaff but will avoid layoffs under a union-agreed deal as it seeks to recover from the impact of the coronavirus…

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North Macedonia’s coalition Government approved

North Macedonia's Social Democrats returned to power Sunday after parliament approved their new coalition, ending a months-long leadership void amid the pandemic. France24 reports that the vote brings Prime Minister…

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Turkey increased taxation on cars, reduces duty

Turkey increased its special consumption tax on mid-range and expensive cars on Sunday, but also lifted the lower thresholds at which the duty is imposed, meaning that more vehicles could…

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Montenegro votes

Montenegrins are voting in a parliamentary election that looks too close to call, with neither the long-ruling pro-Western party nor a rival pro-Russian alliance tipped to win a majority of…

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Church protests, COVID-19 test Montenegro’s long-ruling party in Sunday vote

The tiny Adriatic republic of Montenegro goes to the polls on Sunday riven by tensions over a religious communities law resisted by the powerful Orthodox Church and grappling with the…

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Turkey to hold military exercise off Cyprus amid Mediterranean tensions

Turkey said it will hold a military exercise off northwest Cyprus for the next two weeks, amid growing tension with Greece over disputed claims to exploration rights in the east…

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Croatia’s economy posts record contraction

Croatia's economy shrank by 15.1% in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the same period last year, posting the steepest contraction since 1995 when the quarterly gross domestic product…

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Turkey, Greece to hold rival naval drills as Germany aims to cool row

Turkey and Greece were set to hold separate naval drills in the same region of the eastern Mediterranean on Tuesday, escalating tensions over overlapping resource claims ahead of talks in…

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Turkey to hold military drills in eastern Mediterranean

Turkey said on Thursday it will hold firing exercises in the eastern Mediterranean on Sept 1-2, the latest in a series of military drills which have fuelled tensions with Greece.…

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Bulgarian Justice minister resigns as anti-government protests continue

Bulgarian Justice Minister Danail Kirilov has tendered his resignation after "a conversation" with Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, the Bulgarian government said in a statement on August 26.The reshuffle was expected…

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Croatia reports record daily infections increase

Croatia has recorded its highest number of daily coronavirus infections as a tricky summer tourism season brings a resurgence of Covid-19 to the Adriatic country. The nation of 4.2 million…

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Erdogan says Turkey to get rights in seas around it

Turkey is determined to do whatever is necessary to obtain its rights in the Black Sea, Aegean and Mediterranean, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday. Speaking at an event commemorating…

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Turkey’s new COVID-19 cases reach highest since mid-June, government imposes measures

Turkey’s new coronavirus cases jumped on Tuesday to their highest level since mid-June at 1,502, according to Health Ministry data, prompting the government to impose measures to combat the spread…

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Turkey wants no pre-conditions, ‘honest’ EU mediation for talks with Greece

Turkey's foreign minister said on Tuesday Greece must abandon its "maximalist approach" and pre-conditions for dialogue to begin over disputed offshore Mediterranean resources, adding Ankara expects the EU to act as an…

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Germany says Turkey, Greece ready for dialogue on East Mediterranean dispute

Germany’s top diplomat said after whirlwind meetings in Turkey and Greece on Tuesday the two were ready for dialogue to defuse an worsening dispute over energy resources in the Mediterranean,…

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Turkey’s foreign visitor arrivals dive 86% in June

The number of foreign visitors arriving in Turkey tumbled 85.9% year-on-year in July to 932,927, data from the tourism ministry showed on Monday, as measures to curb the spread of…

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Turkey extends work of Mediterranean exploration ship through August 27

Turkey announced that its Oruc Reis exploration vessel will now carry out seismic surveys in a disputed part of the eastern Mediterranean until Aug. 27, in a move likely to…

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Death toll from northern Turkey flash floods rises to six

The death toll from flash floods in Turkey’s northern Black Sea region rose to six late on Sunday, as search and rescue efforts continued for 10 missing people, the state-run…

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Photo Story: Serbia conducts military exercise in Belgrade

Photos from a demonstration military exercise in Belgrade, Serbia on the weekend. Part of the Air Force and Air Defence units, the Army, the 72nd Special Operations Brigade and the…

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Photo Story: Fatal floods in Giresun, Turkey

People stand on a flooded-hit street following heavy rainfall in Dereli district of Giresun, Turkey, 23 August 2020. According to media reports at least 4 people have died in the…

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After Hagia Sophia, Erdogan orders another ancient church conversion into a mosque

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday ordered another ancient Orthodox church that became a mosque and then a popular Istanbul museum to be turned back into a place of…

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Turkey announces biggest natural gas discovery in Black Sea field

Turkey announced its biggest natural gas discovery on Friday, a 320 billion cubic metre (11.3 trillion cubic feet) Black Sea field which President Tayyip Erdogan said was part of even…

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Slovenia adds neighbour Croatia to coronavirus quarantine list

Slovenia added neighbouring Croatia to its quarantine list, meaning that returning travellers will have to self-isolate. The decision to put Croatia on the list already comprising nearly 60 countries will…

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Turkey in talks with Germany, China, Russia on vaccine trials

Turkey is in talks with Russia, Germany and China about conducting Phase 3 trials for coronavirus vaccines developed in those countries, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. Germany and China have…

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UK to add Croatia to quarantine ‘red list’ as virus cases rise

The British government is set to drop Croatia from its quarantine-free list on Thursday, giving thousands of Britons just 30 hours to return to the UK to avoid having to…

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Erdogan says no threats can deter Turkey’s operations in Mediterranean

No threats can deter Turkey from seeking natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean, President Tayyip Erdogan warned, adding that Ankara expects actors in the region to take steps to de-escalate…

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North Macedonia opens door for possible future Albanian PM

An Albanian might lead the Macedonian government after Zoran Zaev, but only for 100 days at the end of Zaev's next term, according to a new power-sharing deal in Skopje.…

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Putin, Erdogan discuss conflicts in Libya, Turkish, Qatari and German ministers visit Libya

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the conflicts in Libya and Syria with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan in a telephone call on Monday, the Kremlin said in a statement. The…

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Croatia expected to be placed on the UK’s quarantine ‘red list’ as coronavirus cases soar

Croatia passed the British Government's travel quarantine threshold on Sunday, sparking fears it would soon be added to the UK’s 'red list' of nations. Coronavirus cases in the popular summer-holiday…

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Greece hopes war in Eastern Med is avoided

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said on Friday he hoped that all parties involved in a dispute in the eastern Mediterranean Sea will act according to international law and that…

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Turkey says France should refrain from escalating Mediterranean tensions

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday France should refrain from steps that escalate tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, where Ankara is embroiled in a dispute with Greece over…

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Bulgaria’s PM says ready to resign

Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said on Friday he would resign if parliament approves his plans to call elections for a grand national assembly to change the constitution. Borissov says…

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Erdogan warns against any attack on Turkish ship in Mediterranean

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that any attack on a Turkish ship exploring for oil and gas in disputed Mediterranean waters would incur a “high price” and suggested Turkey…

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Turkey’s Erdogan says only solution in Mediterranean is dialogue

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that the only solution to Turkey's dispute with Greece over energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean was through dialogue and negotiation, and Ankara was…

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EU allocates assistance funds to eight enlargment and neighbourhood partners

The European Commission has announced Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on macro-financial assistance (MFA) programmes with eight partners. The agreements are part of the €3 billion MFA package for enlargement and…

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Coronavirus cuts Bosnian tourism by 70.6% in first half of 2020

Bosnia's tourism sector shrank by 70.6% year-on-year in the first six months of 2020 due to the coronavirus crisis, data from its state statistics agency showed on Monday. Before the…

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Turkey to conduct seismic survey in eastern Mediterranean

Turkey's navy has issued an advisory saying that the Turkish ship Oruc Reis will carry out a seismic survey in the eastern Mediterranean over the next two weeks, a step…

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Photo Story: Summer in Serbia

People enjoy the sun at Lake Ada Ciganlija during a warm day in Belgrade, Serbia. Extremely hot weather with temperatures rising to more than 35 degrees Celsius are expected in…

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Turkey criticizes Germany for enforcing Libya arms embargo

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday criticized Germany's participation in a European Union mission supervising an international weapon's embargo on Libya. Cavusoglu was in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, for…

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Fears grow in Turkey as daily virus cases top 1,000

Turkey has expressed concern over the rising number of coronavirus cases as the daily infection toll exceeded 1,000 for the second day in a row on Wednesday. Ankara has eased…

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Turkey’s new coronavirus cases jump over 1,000

Turkey's new coronavirus cases jumped above 1,000 for the first time in three weeks on Tuesday in what the government called a troubling rise during peak holiday season, raising concerns…

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Kosovo PM contracts coronavirus

Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti said on Sunday he has contracted COVID-19 and will self-isolate at home for two weeks. “I don’t have symptoms expect a very mild cough,” Hoti…

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Bulgarians block central Sofia in anti-government protest

Protesters set up tents on a major crossroad and in front of the government building on Thursday, vowing to keep the center of the Bulgarian capital blocked until the government…

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Turkey approves social media law critics say will silence dissent

Turkey adopted a new social media law on Wednesday that critics say will create a "chilling effect" on dissenting voices who have resorted to Twitter and other online platforms as…

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UPDATED: Pipeline rupture halts gas flows from Bulgaria to Greece

A rupture in a pipeline in southwest Bulgaria on Monday halted the transit of Russian natural gas through Bulgaria to Greece, the head state gas company Bulgartransgaz said. Vladimir Malinov…

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