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Balkan developments

Romgaz drops lawsuit against Greenpeace - Romania


On June 11, just before the first hearing in a case that aimed to dissolve Greenpeace - Romania, Romgaz withdrew its lawsuit against the environmental activists, Greenpeace - Bulgaria announced. The Romanian energy company, which is 70% state-owned, took the unprecedented step against the environmental organization in May, accusing it of being unfair and of going bankrupt. Critics of these actions, however, perceived the case as an attempt at intimidation and an attack on civil society, writes Deutsche Welle. 

According to Greenpeace, the charges against them are a reaction to the environmentalists' legal actions against the Neptun Deep natural gas extraction project in the Black Sea. The environmental organization warns of irreversible consequences of the project and that Neptun Deep will hinder Romania's energy transformation, contribute to the deepening of the climate crisis and endanger fragile ecosystems in the Black Sea.


Record deal: Turkey delivers 48 KAAN fighter jets to Indonesia


Turkey will produce and export a record 48 KAAN fighter jets to Indonesia, foreseeing a new agreement in the field of defense, announced Turkish President Recep Erdogan, Anadolu Agency and BTA reported. In a post on the social platform "Ex" after the signing of the export deal, Erdogan greeted the participants in the KAAN project. Production facilities in Indonesia will also be used to produce the fighters, the Turkish president noted. 

The KAAN fighter, a fifth-generation aircraft of the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), made its first flight last year with a supersonic speed of 1.8 Max and a flight altitude ceiling of over 16.7 km. The agreement stipulates that the 48 KAAN fighters will be delivered over 120 months. They will be equipped with engines manufactured in Turkey.


Kosovo accepts 300 foreign prisoners from Denmark for 200 million euros 


Denmark will transfer its foreign prisoners to Kosovo by 2027. The news has caused discontent among non-governmental organizations and Kosovo citizens, but could serve as a model for the rest of the EU, AFP reported, quoted by BGNES. The agreement, reached in 2022 and ratified by the Kosovo parliament in 2024, envisages the acceptance of up to 300 foreign prisoners sentenced in Denmark. They must not have been convicted of terrorism or war crimes, nor suffer from a mental illness or a terminal illness. After serving their sentence in Kosovo, they will be deported to their home country. In return, Denmark will pay 200 million euros, more than 6 times the annual budget of the Kosovo Ministry of Justice. 

The detainees will be held in a special building in the village of Pasjak, about 50 km southeast of the capital Pristina. Work on the building's renovation will begin soon. The project has caused concern among local residents. "If they were trouble-free, Denmark would have kept them, not transferred them out of the country," said Zeke Zeka, a 57-year-old farmer and deputy mayor of the village.


Archaeologists uncover large-scale ancient trading city in Cyprus


Cyprus was the center of a wide Mediterranean trading network in the late Bronze Age, according to the latest international archaeological research conducted on the island. The Ministry of Culture announced the rich finds discovered by archaeologists, BNR correspondent in Cyprus Branislava Bobanac reported. Excavations in the Larnaca area, near the international airport, have uncovered artifacts from across the Mediterranean in an ancient port city covering an area of ​​about 25 hectares. It played the role of a major trading center in the region in the second millennium BC, with its wealth due to the extraction and export of copper. 

In the three discovered tombs, in addition to local products - ceramics, tools and jewelry, many imported goods were also found, testifying to lively trade relations. There are high-quality imported ceramics from the Aegean Islands and Central Greece. Ivory, precious metals and scarabs were imported from Egypt. There are also funerary gifts from the Middle East. According to archaeologists, the three tombs belonged to wealthy merchant families of the ruling class. The excavations were carried out by an international team under the leadership of the University of Gothenburg (Sweden).



Photos: Greenpeace Romania, iletisim.gov.tr, reuters.com, gov.cy
Edited by Gergana Mancheva
English publication: R. Petkova

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