United Arab Emirates

Bulgaria will open trade missions in 20 countries by end-2014, according to a media statement of the government.

The new trade representations are to be opened in the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, northern Iraq (Erbil), Algiers, Tunisia, Ghana, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, US (Chicago), Hungary and Cyprus.

OBRENOVAC - The state of emergency declared in the Belgrade municipality of Obrenovac due to the recent massive floods will remain in force until next Monday so that the Serbian Armed Forces can distribute aid, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has told residents of Obrenovac.

Two crates shipped from the United Arab Emirates to the port of Piraeus and labeled “office supplies” were found to contain 19.9 million contraband cigarettes, customs authorities reported on Friday.

The illegal cigarettes would have cost the Greek state 3.5 million euros in lost taxes had they made it onto the market, the report said.

BELGRADE - Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic talked in Belgrade on Thursday with the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Juma Rashid Saif Zayed Al Dhaheri, about the consequences of the recent severe floods and the UAE's aid worth EUR 1.3 million.

BELGRADE - Ivan Mrkic, the foreign policy advisor to the Serbian president, on Wednesday met with a group of ambassadors of Arab states to discuss the upcoming donor conference for aid for Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Şişecam, Turkey’s biggest glassmaker, has said its Paşabahçe unit, which makes tableware and home furnishings, has started talks to acquire shares in Arc International, a French household goods maker.

In a filing to the Istanbul Stock Exchange, Şişecam stated that Paşabahçe had signed a non-disclosure agreement regarding the non-binding talks.

BELGRADE - Serbian Minister of Youth and Sports Vanja Udovicic and senior vice-president of sports infrastructure development company AECOM Riad Nashif signed a protocol of cooperation in the field of public private partnership.

The UAE-based AECOM expressed interest in cooperation with Serbia, Udovicic said Monday.

BELGRADE - The Serbian Parliament adopted on Friday a bill that defines the conditions of the USD 1 billion budget loan from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Serbia.

The government will receive a USD 1 billion loan from the UAE with a payment deadline of 10 years and a 2 percent interest rate.

"USD 1 billion to modernize Belgrade airport"

BELGRADE -- USD 1 billion will be invested in the expansion and modernization of Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport, the daily Večernje Novosti reports in its Friday edition.

BELGRADE, May 30 (Tanjug) - USD 1 billion will be invested in the expansion and modernization of Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport, Belgrade-based daily Vecernje Novosti reports in its Friday edition.