Republics

Commentators have recently suggested that Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras may achieve a political legacy "unmatched" by any of his recent predecessors, or that he has achieved the status of "statesman," or that, along with Zoran Zaev, his counterpart in North Macedonia, he might be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

These days, it's hard to stop politics from flooding your news feed. We will take a moment every week to bring you important news from the life in Bulgaria you might have missed.

Bulgaria to investigate 3rd suspect in UK ex-spy poisoning

Turkey's central government budget balance posted a surplus of nearly 5.1 billion Turkish liras ($953 million) in January, new data from the Treasury and Finance Ministry showed on Feb. 15.

Retail sales volume in Turkey decreased by 9.2 percent in December 2018 compared with the same month of previous year, according to a statement by the Turkish Statistical Institute on Feb. 15.

A woman walks between a Greek border landmark and a new signpost for North Macedonia at the Evzones border crossing on Wednesday. After the ratification of the Prespes deal and a NATO accession protocol, authorities in the Balkan country are now formally implementing the name change, and will be adjusting road signs, passports and car license plates over the coming months.

Workers in the newly renamed North Macedonia have begun replacing road signs to reflect the change in their country's name, following a deal with neighboring Greece to end a nearly three decade-long dispute and secure NATO membership.

Bulgaria's prime minister met on Feb. 12 with a Turkish architect who restored the Bulgarian St. Stephen Orthodox Church in Istanbul, saying that the structure shines once more, according to the country's cabinet press service.

Turkey and Serbia should aim to increase their bilateral trade volume to $2 billion in the near future, Turkish Minister of Youth and Sports Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu said on Feb. 12.

he government in Skopje says the country is now officially renamed North Macedonia, under an agreement to normalize relations with Greece that also allows the Balkan country to enter NATO.

A government press release says as of Tuesday, the country is officially called the Republic of North Macedonia.

Members of an honor guard hoist the NATO flag next to that of the newly named North Macedonia in front of the government building in Skopje Tuesday.