Caretaker

In a significant move towards bolstering security in the Black Sea region, the Turkish Parliament has ratified a memorandum paving the way for the establishment of a Mine Countermeasures Naval Group. This development was underscored by Bulgaria's Caretaker Defence Minister, Atanas Zapryanov, during the Black Sea security conference held in Sofia.

Theodoros Pangalos, a former Greek foreign minister known for his undiplomatic outbursts and on whose watch Greece suffered one of its most embarrassing foreign policy debacles in 1999, has died. He was 84.

Pangalos' family said on Twitter that he died on Wednesday "peacefully at home, surrounded by his family and close associates."

Bulgaria's Caretaker Minister of Health, Dr. Stoycho Katsarov, on June 15, issued an Order according to which the requirement for wearing protective masks may be lifted for employees in work teams of up to 7 people.

Bulgaria's Caretaker Prime Minister Georgi Bliznashki has announced the names of ten advisers who are to enter his team, the Council of Ministers' press office said.

Georgi Georgiev, a former Deputy Minister of Regional Development (2001-2003) and former Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (2001-2003), will become Bliznashki's Chief of Staff.