Türkiye wants to join BRICS
Turkey has applied for full membership in BRICS and its accession will be discussed at the organisation’s summit in Russia in October, Bulgarian media reported. If accepted, it would be the first NATO country and EU candidate to join the group, which currently numbers 10 countries, including Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, the media reported. The news was confirmed by Yury Ushakov, an adviser to Russian President Putin. “Turkey is seeking to strengthen its global influence and build new ties beyond its traditional Western allies. This diplomatic turn by the country is a reflection of its aspirations to develop ties with all countries in a multipolar world, while fulfilling its obligations as a key NATO member,” Bloomberg reported. EU spokesman Peter Stano commented that, regardless, Ankara remains a candidate for full EU membership and a loyal NATO member. Free Europe points out that Turkey’s accession negotiations with the EU have been going on for almost 20 years.
Albania releases Greek MEP Fredi Beleri
Greek MEP Fredi Beleri has been released from prison in Albania, where he was serving a sentence for vote-buying, BNR correspondent in Greece Katya Peeva reports. Beleri was released on parole but was not acquitted, his lawyer stressed. Upon his release from prison, the MEP said that his fight for justice has only just begun, that he will take his case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and that he will be acquitted as his was a case of political persecution.
Fredi Beleri, an ethnic Greek, was arrested in 2023 for vote-buying ahead of local elections in the town of Himara, which is populated mainly by ethnic Greeks. Beleri managed to win the election despite being in prison, but he never took office. After Greek diplomatic efforts to secure his release failed, he was included on the list of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ ruling party for the European elections and was elected as an MEP while in prison. Beleri’s case has created great tension in relations between Athens and Tirana.
Mircea Geoana leaves post of NATO deputy chief to become president
NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana has announced that he will step down from his post on September 10, Adgerpress reports. Geoana is expected to announce his candidacy for the Romanian presidency after resigning. The first round of the presidential election will be held on November 24, the Romanian government has decided. A second round is also planned two weeks later, on December 8, with parliamentary elections to be held in between, on December 1, Romania’s national holiday. According to Radio Romania, the battle in the second round of the presidential election will probably be between Mircea Geoana, former leader of the Social Democratic Party, and its current leader and Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu. In the 2009 presidential election, Mircea Geoana’s rival for the post was Traian Băsescu, who beat him by less than 1%, raising questions about the honesty of the vote.
Greek and Turkish shipping companies are looking for ways to bypass Bulgaria
Due to congestion at border crossings, there is a risk that transport companies from Greece, Romania and Turkey will start avoiding Bulgaria. This was stated at a meeting of road transport associations from the Black Sea region in Tashkent, where the topic of an alternative transport corridor out of Bulgaria was discussed. Bulgaria has been criticised for the chaos at its border crossings and long queues of trucks. This was also the reason for a meeting of Bulgarian freight transporters with the team of the Ministry of Transport on 4 September, but the talks did not yield any results, BNT reports.
According to the authorities, about 3,500 trucks pass through the Kulata-Promachonas checkpoint every day, and during peak times it takes an average of one hour to cross the border. Truck drivers, however, have a different opinion. Yoana Lalova, vice-president of the European Transport Cluster, told BNR that drivers are waiting 30-40 hours in Vidin to cross the Bulgarian border with Romania, and to cross from Turkey to Bulgaria they wait about four days. Lalova also pointed to a scandalous example of the “Captain Andreevo” checkpoint on the border with Turkey, where Bulgarian trucks are charged 20 levs (10 euros) for disinfection and foreign trucks – 20 euros. At the moment, disinfection on the border with Greece is free, Lalova said.
Author: Miglena Ivanova
English version: Alena Markova
Fotos: commonwealthunion.com, Protothema, BGNES, BTA
