A Christmas tree in Cyprus pays homage to missing Greek Cypriots

A special Christmas tree was placed in the centre of the divided Cypriot capital, Nicosia, on Wednesday. Its aim is to bring back to mind the disappearance of 781 Greek Cypriots during the Turkish invasion of the island, with photos of people hanging on it whose fate still remains unknown 47 years later. At the unveiling of the Christmas tree, Presidential Commissioner for Humanitarian Issues Fotis Fotiu called on Turkey to respond to calls from Cyprus and international institutions to reveal the truth. Cyprus wants Ankara to provide information from the archives of the Turkish army from the period of the invasion and to allow excavations, including in military areas in the northern part of the island, BNR correspondent Branislava Bobanac reported from Cyprus.

Republika Srpska votes to leave major BiH institutions

Republika Srpska lawmakers voted to withdraw from the common army, the judiciary and tax systems of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Euronews reported. The deputies authorized the regional government within 6 months to develop new laws for the formation of its own armed forces. "The voted changes are unlikely to become a reality in the near future. However, there are fears that these steps could plunge Bosnia and Herzegovina into an even deeper crisis," Stefan Goranovic from Euronews Serbia commented. The parliament's decision provoked a strong backlash from the West. In a telephone conversation with Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, US State Department counselor Derek Chollet said parliament's actions were unacceptable and undermined BiH institutions. According to the SRNA news agency, Dodik said the decisions did not violate the constitution or the 1995 Dayton Accords.

Turkey: There is a tendency to normalize relations with the EU

Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Farouk Kaymakci, in charge of relations with the EU, said there has been a trend towards normalizing relations between Turkey and the EU over the past six months, TRT reported. According to Kaimakci, his office has a communication strategy to clarify to the Turkish public what the EU is and to the European public what Turkey's membership will contribute to the EU. "As a candidate country, we are normally maintaining our relations within the framework of the negotiations, but unfortunately in the last few years our dialogue with the EU has not been at the level we want. However, in the last 6 months there has been a significant easing and a tendency towards gradual normalization," Kaymakci said.

Protests in Romania over freeze on salaries

Romanian police officers protested in front of the Interior Ministry building on Thursday, Radio Romania reported. The reason for the protests is a project of the Ministry of Finance to freeze salaries in the state sphere, so as not to burden the state budget in the conditions of the pandemic. Police threaten that if the government adopts the measure, they will refuse to ensure compliance with anti-epidemic restrictions. The Sanitas trade union, which unites medical workers, also spoke out against the salary freeze. Teachers also said they were ready for a general strike.

Vaccination of children over 5 years of age begins in Greece

In response to the high number of infections and deaths with Covid-19, Greece has introduced the vaccination of children over 5 years of age as an additional measure. 30,000 children are waiting for vaccination. Due to strong interest in the third dose, two mega-immunization centres have been opened in Athens, serving 1,800 people a day, BNR correspondent in Greece Katya Peeva reported.

A problem for the healthcare system is more than half a million citizens over the age of 60, who, despite the mandatory vaccination, have not yet received a first dose.

Bosnian film about Srebrenica massacre wins European Oscar

Bosnian war drama Quo vadis, Aida? of filmmaker Jasmila Zbanic has won the European Film Academy's highest award for best European film in 2021, Euronews reports. Serbian actress Jasna Duricic, who starred in the film, also won the Best Actress award.

The film tells the story of a UN translator who tries to save her family from the Srebrenica genocide during the 1995 Bosnian war. The film was presented in Bulgaria during the Sofia Film Fest 2021.

In 1995, more than 8,000 Muslimswere killed in Srebrenica under the leadership of the Serbian geneрал Ratko Mladic, the largest war crime in Europe since World War II.

Compiled by Miglena Ivanova

English version Rositsa Petkova