Member states of the Council of Europe

At the current rate of healthcare development, it will take Bulgaria 50 years to catch up with the most developed countries in the European Union, said head of Bulgarian Medical Union Dr. Ivan Madzharov during a press conference at BTA titled "Non-Partisan Consensus for Accelerated Healthcare Development 2021-2025" under "Together for Better Health" initiative

The National Association of Travel Agencies (ANAT) welcomes Greece's initiative to reopen tourism season as of May 14 and considers that this should be a model for Romania as well.

The next round of consultative talks between Turkey and Greece will be held in Athens on March 16-17, Turkish officials said on March 10. 

The two countries are looking for solutions to disputes regarding the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean seas.

The previous round of meetings was in Istanbul on Jan. 25.

Prague has been asking Warsaw to deal with the mine, which sits on the tri-border between Poland, Czechia and Germany, for several years, citing its heavy environmental impact. In particular, Turow, which feeds Poland's heavy addiction to coal for power production, has degraded drinking water in Czechia's northern Liberec Region. There is also concern over air and noise pollution.

A Greek police spokesperson has brushed aside reports that a convicted fugitive, Christos Pappas, from the far-right Golden Dawn party, may be hiding out in a Serbian monastary.

Turkey's traditional cologne exports tripled in 2020 thanks to its signature hand disinfectant, a powerful tool used by many to ward off the threat of coronavirus.

Turkey exported 6.9 million tons of cologne last year, up from 2.4 million in 2019, according to data compiled by Anadolu Agency from the Istanbul Chemical and Chemical Products Exporters' Association (IKMIB).

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, thanked Romania today in a Twitter message for the aid offered to the Republic of Moldova under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism for combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a new order issued by the Bulgarian Health Minister, school and university students from Greece, Turkey, Serbia, the Republic of North Macedonia and Romania, who travel to Bulgaria every day or at least once a week, will not be required to present PCR test result every time they enter Bulgaria.

The order comes into effect as of February 17.

Slovakian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Ivan Korcok, currently on a visit to Bucharest, expressed support for Romania's accession to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Schengen Area, noting that this should already have happened. I affirmed Slovakia's support for Romania's joining the Schengen Area.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his support for the ongoing exploratory talks between Greece and Turkey in a  phone call with Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias earlier on Monday, Sate Department  spokesperson Ned Price said.