Balkan countries

BELGRADE - Serbia will turn to the European Commission over Croatia's decision to introduce non-tariff barriers to imports of agricultural products from Serbia and other non-EU countries, Serbian Deputy PM and Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajic announced on Tuesday.

Ivica Dacic says Serbia "does not agree" with US Vice President Mike Pence's statement about Russia "redrawing borders in the Balkans by force."

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Ana Brnabic will take part in an August 2 US-Adriatic Charter meeting in Podgorica, Montenegro, where she will have a bilateral meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence.

The famed performance artist Marina Abramovic was in Serbia and in Montenegro in recent days, a Belgrade-based daily is reporting.

The 70-year-old's visit to Montenegro was organized by Petar Cukovic, her longtime friend, art historian, lecturer at the Faculty of Visual Arts in Podgorica, and art director of the Dukley European Art Community.

''I am proud of being the Bulgarian politician who in 2012 had to change Bulgaria's approach to Macedonia from the romantic to a new, pragmatic phase in the relations, Rosen Plevneliev, President of Bulgarian in 2012-2017, told BTV's morning show ''Good Morning, Bulgaria'.

"To solve a problem, it should be pointed out. And that was my role," Plevneliev said.

Albanian PM Edi Rama has taken his casual style to yet another official gathering - this time, the US-Adriatic Charter Summit, held in Montenegro on Wednesday.

The summit was attended by US Vice President Mike Pence and several regional prime ministers, including Rama, who showed up wearing a suit, and a pair of sneakers.

A resounding 98 percent of Greeks believe the state of the country's economy is "bad," according to the recent Eurobarometer survey for spring 2017, conducted in May and published on Wednesday in Brussels, up one percentage point from last year's fall survey.

Today, a plant for high-tech automotive components will be opened in Pazardzhik. Reports BGNES.

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borissov signed a friendship treaty yesterday in a move designed to end years of diplomatic wrangling and boost Macedonia's European integration.

Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev signed in Skopje the Friendship, Good Neighborhood and Cooperation Agreement between Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia, reported BGNES.