Countries

Many young Bulgarians graduating secondary school do not want to work in industry, but prefer the services sector. Their choice of profession is to be automechanic, hairdresser, chef or police officer but not financier, research scientist or entrepreneur, BNR reported.

Greek Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed an upgrade of Greece's credit rating by Fitch Ratings late Friday, as well as the country's climb in a list issued by Transparency International.

The President of the European Council said on Friday the bloc will be holding intensive discussions in coming weeks on how future enlargement should be managed.

Charles Michel, who was in the Albanian capital, Tirana, to meet with Prime Minister Edi Rama, said all member countries "are unanimous on one point — that the Western Balkans' future should be toward Europe."

Looking back at 2019 it will no doubt be remembered as the year that Turkey upped the ante in the deep waters of the East Mediterranean by adopting and promoting a highly provocative, if not belligerent, stand.

The European Investment Bank signed an agreement with the Greek government on Friday for a loan to finance 50 percent of the cost for the 48-million-euro expansion and modernization of the Demokritos National Center for Scientific Research in Athens, the largest public research center in Greece.

Cyprus is blocking new European Union sanctions against several officials from Russia-annexed Crimea in a bid to secure EU backing for tougher action against Turkey in a separate row over drilling for hydrocarbons, three diplomatic sources said.

Nicosia denied linking the two issues and said it needed time to review the proposed measures against the Crimean officials.

The fact that the new president of the Hellenic Republic is both a woman and a judge with a long and positive presence in the public eye raises hopes that the election of Katerina Sakellaropoulou will be not only a symbolic turning of the page for the country but a substantial step toward the maturing of our politics and modernization of our society.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrey Plenkovic said on Jan. 24 that his country wants to attract more Turkish investments.   

Plenkovic's remarks came at the 50th World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. 

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Plenkovic stressed that there is a solid commercial partnership between the two countries. 

Turkey is ready to revive all dialogue channels with Greece including the exploratory talks, the Foreign Ministry said on Jan. 24.

Turkish and Ukrainian officials gathered in Ukraine's capital to address ways to enhance strategic cooperation in the defense industry.

The seventh edition of Turkey-Ukraine Defense Industry Cooperation meeting was held in Kiev, where steps to be taken for armament and military equipments were discussed, according to a statement from Ukrainian Defense Ministry on Jan. 24.