15% of Ukrainian refugees are heading to the Balkans

More than 340,000 Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania since the start of the war in Ukraine, AGERPRES reports. More than 260,000 people have already left the country. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă has asked European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič to support Romania and Moldova in managing the flow of refugees. The European continent is facing its biggest humanitarian crisis since World War II, Lenarčič said, adding that 2 million refugees entered the EU in the first two weeks of the war. The EU has already allocated 100 million euros for the countries welcoming the refugees, the EU official said.

Athens wants Tirana to respect the rights of Greek minority in Albania

Respect for the rights of the Greek minority in Albania is the key to Tirana's EU membership, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at a meeting with representatives of Greeks in Albania, skytv.gr reported. Mitsotakis met a delegation of the Democratic Union of the Greek National Minority, Omonoia and the Human Rights Union. Observance of the right to self-determination in the national census in Albania in 2022 was discussed. It was also pointed out that the property register in Albania, must indisputably guarantee the property rights of the Greek community. Mitsotakis has informed guests that Athens will raise the national pension for ethnic Greeks abroad.

Protests in Albania against rising prices of food and fuel

Thousands of Albanians protested against the significant rise of prices in the country, the Associated Press reported. Dissatisfied people stood in front of the government building in Tirana, but also blocked major streets in other cities.

Fuel prices rose by 50% in the past week and food prices also jumped. Protesters accuse the government of taking advantage of the price hike and demand a reduction in excise duties and trade taxes. Prime Minister Edi Rama said the rising prices, especially the price of fuel, was a result of the war in Ukraine and the government could not use non-market methods. Minister of Energy Belinda Balluku has called on Albanians to cut spending on fuel for their cars.

Serbian politicians show readiness to take prime minister’s position in Belgrade

The chairman of the Socialist Party of Serbia, Ivica Dačić, said he was ready to take the position of prime minister after a victory of Aleksandar Vučić at the presidential elections, BTA reported. "The best thing for Serbia will be Vučić remaining president and me becoming Prime Minister," the former parliament chief, former foreign minister and former prime minister said. Serbian Radical Party leader Vojislav Šešelj told the Danas newspaper that if Aleksander Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party did not win parliamentary majority, the Radicals were ready to support the presidential party, but only if Šešelj became prime minister. Šešelj’s party have officially backed Vucic for another term in office as president.

Full dams and rivers in European part of Turkey disperse fears of drought

Heavy rains in East Thrace have reduced the risk of drought that was plaguing the region in 2021. The dams were filled by melting snow and the Maritsa, Arda and Tundzha rivers, which come from Bulgaria and irrigate the Edirne plain. The three dams, which are used to meet the water needs of the metropolis of Istanbul were nearly dry 6 months ago but are now 100% full, the Anadolu Agency reported. Rainfall in February also increased water supplies for agricultural irrigation.

Crimea and Kosovo are incomparable, Kosovo Prime Minister says

Russian President Vladimir Putin thinks more about the territories than about the people, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has told BNT. According to him, Moscow wanted to retain control over the eastern part of Ukraine and deprive the remaining western territory of access to the Black Sea. Kurti says that no comparison can be made between Russia's occupation of Crimea and Kosovo's independence. In Kosovo in 1999, NATO intervened in order to end genocide. More than 12,000 civilians were killed by Slobodan Milosevic's regime, 20,000 women were raped and more than 13,000 children were killed. 860,000 Albanians, or 80% of the population, were deported to North Macedonia, Albania or Montenegro, Kurti recalled.

Compiled by: Ivo Ivanov

English: Alexander Markov