Slovenia and Croatia have closed their borders to most transiting refugees as the Balkan route is slowly sealed. Serbia and Macedonia are expected to follow. The move came just a day after a tentative Turkey-EU deal on refugee crisis and as 34,000 remain stranded in Greece.
Christian Social Union’s secretary general, Andreas Scheuer, said his party, an ally to Angela Merkel’s CDU, is against a visa-free regime with Turkey and the prospects for its EU bid because Ankara plays “cat and mouse” and raises demands “like at a bazaar.” According to Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, a visa-free regime could be established by the end of June.
Bulgarian authorities are planning to resume talks on the construction of “South Stream” gas pipeline, Russian Deputy Minister of Energy Yuriy Sentyurin said on Mar.10. We remember, in late 2014, Moscow cancelled South Stream gas pipeline project, provoked by “unconstructive stance” of the European Union.
The US-led coalition carried out 20 airstrikes against ISIS in Syria and Iraq, the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve announced in a statement on Thursday. The CJTF-OIR’s activity has been increased after the Russian intervention in Syria.