Member states of the Council of Europe

Türkiye, from a geostrategic perspective, is central to NATO and an extremely valuable member since 1952, the top Portuguese diplomat has said, suggesting a closer dialogue between Türkiye and Sweden for the latter's advancement to becoming an alliance member, along with Finland.

Turkey, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia got their worst corruption scores in ten years in the latest Global Perceptions Corruption Index, CPI, which the watchdog organisation Transparency International published on Tuesday.

The construction of the gas connection between Bulgaria and Serbia on Bulgarian territory will being on February 1, according to a press release from the presidency.

The Biden administration on Tuesday reiterated its support for both Finland and Sweden joining NATO at the earliest opportunity, after Helsinki said a pause was needed in trilateral talks with Turkey on the Nordic countries' application to join the military alliance.

"Ukrainian forces shot down three Russian Ka-52 helicopters last night in the east of the country," Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced.
The 335th day of the conflict in Ukraine is underway, and the Russians have sent reinforcements to the front and are introducing a new reform.

Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said in an interview with Yle (Finland's national public broadcasting company) published on Tuesday that his country may seek to join NATO without Sweden if Stockholm's bid is take more time to be approved.

The war in Ukraine is a storm raging in Europe's east. But its consequences will be felt in the south. The Eastern Mediterranean is likely to be affected in a variety of ways, with particular implications for Greece and its neighbors. Russia's presence and actions are one element in this equation. The effects of the war on the global order and the aspirations of regional powers are another.

"Bulgaria's role in the war in Ukraine will be very, very highly appreciated in the history books," believes the advisor to the Ukrainian president Mykhailo Podolyak.

The United States on Jan. 20 designated Russia's Wagner group as a "transnational criminal organization," piling pressure on the private Russian army fighting in Ukraine.

The government plane "Falcon" with a team from the Military Academy on board will transport Hristiyan Pendikov, who was attacked in Ohrid, to Bulgaria, announced the press service of the Council of Ministers.