PM of North Macedonia says historical issues with Bulgaria will be resolved

In an interview for Deutsche Welle the Prime Minister of North Macedonia Zoran Zaev states that the historical problems between his country and Bulgaria will be settled. In the words of the PM the caretaker government that has to be formed in Skopje on 3 January must not deviate from the achievements of his cabinet. Zoran Zaev commended his own government’s work, highlighting, as special merits, North Macedonia’s membership of NATO and the expected setting of a date for the launch of negotiations with the EU.

Law on religious communities triggers protests in Montenegro

Protests have been taking place in Montenegro since Sunday against the controversial law on religious communities, in Podgorica they led to clashes in which four police officers were injured.

After parliament voted the law amid chaotic scenes that led to the arrest of 18 MPs, on Saturday the President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic signed the law which envisages nationalization of property belonging to religious entities if they cannot prove their right of ownership prior to 1918. The Serbian Orthodox Church is concerned that the government may seize its assets, such as ancient monasteries and churches, and hand them over to the Montenegrin Orthodox Church in order to undermine Belgrade’s influence in the country.

President Vucic to step down as party leader

The President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic announced that the Serbian Progressive Party is to elect an entirely new leadership in June 2020. Stating he would not be running for party leader again, the head of state expressed the hope that his successor as leader of the party would be able to run the party the way he wants to.

Serbia is the only European country where the president is also a party leader. To hold both positions was something typical of the former totalitarian dictatorships throughout Eastern Europe.

Erdogan unveils Turkish-made electric car

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan unveiled prototypes of a domestically made electric car made which is expected to be on the road within three years. Turkey has a sizeable automotive industry though it consists mostly of subsidiaries of partners of international carmakers.

Manufacture of the prototypes demonstrated is expected to begin in 2022. The vehicles are to be made by a consortium of five Turkish industrial companies called TOGG.

Migrants, apprehended in Turkey, duped into thinking they were in Bulgaria

Turkish security forces apprehended 29 illegal migrants who thought they were in Bulgaria. In fact, they had been duped by traffickers into thinking they were in Bulgaria while still on Turkish territory where they had been abandoned, Sabah newspaper writes.

The migrants said the traffickers had agreed to take them over to Bulgaria for the sum of USD 5,200 each. Instead they were taken to the Turkish province of Tekirdag close to the border with Greece and were told that Bulgaria was just over the next hill.

Turkey is a popular route for illegal migrants coming from the Middle East and Asia. Hundreds enter the country illegally and are apprehended near the borders in western Turkey and the Aegean provinces.