Geography

Bulgaria's business sector is optimistic about the number of employees over the next 12 months.

The forecast is based on a survey of the Institute for Market Economic s think tank conducted among 1680 companies across the country.

NOVI SAD - Novi Sad Mayor Milos Vucevic has visited the Belarus-Agropanonka factory with Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Petr Prokopovich and a government and business delegation from Belarus.

On Thursday, they attended the ceremonial opening of an assembly line for low-power tractors, another aspect of the development of economic ties between Serbia and Belarus.

To Potami, the centrist party formed by journalist Stavros Theodorakis, will hold its founding congress at the Technological Park in Lavrio, southeast of Athens, rather than a campsite in Thrace, northeastern Greece, as had been originally planned.

The congress will be held between June 27 and 29.

LUHANSK - The self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) called on Russia and 14 other countries, including Serbia, to recognize its independence.

LPR Supreme Council, municipal and regional congresses seek the recognition of LPR as a sovereign independent state, Russia's Itar-Tass reports.

A Serbian prosecutor ordered the arrest of a 40-year-old Greek national on Monday after Serbian border police stationed at the Presevo border crossing between Serbia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) allegedly discovered 56 kilos of marijuana in his vehicle.

BELGRADE - Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic met on Tuesday with Portuguese fado diva Mariza to discuss charity campaigns for Serbia after the massive floods that swept through the country mid May.

Mariza joined the campaign organized by EXIT and Balkanopolis flood relief center for Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH).

VIENNA - Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic will travel to Vienna on Wednesday for the first time since taking office and confer with Austria's top officials.

The visit to Austria was due to take place on May 18-19, but the prime minister cancelled it because of catastrophic floods that hit Serbia.

The police chief in Bosnia's Federation entity, Dragan Lukac, said an investigation would be launched to determine whether money set aside for preventing flood damage had been spent illegally.

“One must not stay deaf or mute,” he said on Monday. “Someone has to be held responsible and if we determine that a crime occurred, together with the prosecutors we will file criminal charges.”

BELGRADE - Serbia's international position has improved significantly, and the country is now more often referred to in terms of solving problems, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Saturday.

Around 500 000 real estate properties in eastern Bulgaria are owned by Russian citizens, said the Russian consul in Varna Yurii Solovyov, quoted by the wire service BTA. 

The consulate in Varna covers the regions Varna, Dobrich, Shumen, Burgas, Yambol and Sliven. On its territory permanently reside 6000 Russians and around 300 000 visit Bulgaria regularly.