Diplomatic Diary: Cyprus's Christofias arrives in Bulgaria

07/10/2008

Cypriot President Christofias says his visit to Bulgaria is a milestone for co-operation. Also in diplomatic news: Albania will join NATO in April, US Deputy Secretary of Defence Gordon R. England said.

Cypriot President Demetris Christofias. [Getty Images]

Cypriot President Demetris Christofias arrived in Bulgaria on Sunday (October 5th) at the invitation of his Bulgarian counterpart, Georgi Parvanov. Christofias met with Parvanov and Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev on Monday. The Cypriot president is travelling with a delegation of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "I am sure that this visit will be a milestone in efforts to enhance political, economic and cultural co-operation between our two countries," Christofias said before the visit.

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Serbian President Boris Tadic was in Evian, France, on Monday (October 6th) to attend the World Policy Conference, which will last until Wednesday. Tadic is expected to speak at one of the plenary sessions. Professors, political analysts, international corporate heads and journalists will also attend. French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev confirmed their participation.

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Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat met with European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) President Jean Paul Costa on Thursday (October 2nd). Talat and Costa discussed cases filed by Greek Cypriots over alleged violations of their property rights on the northern, Turkish-controlled side of Cyprus. At the meeting, Talat told Costa the Turkish Cypriot administration has set up a special commission to deal with property demands by Greek Cypriots. Thanks to the commission's work, the number of cases brought to the ECHR by Greek Cypriots would drop significantly, Talat said.

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Bulgarian Charge d'Affaires in Uzbekistan Ilko Dimitrov Slavchev said the launch of nonstop flights between Bulgaria and Uzbekistan and of an Uzbeki diplomatic mission in Bulgaria could boost beneficial co-operation. He said that the two states have rich tourism potential and that flights between the two countries could be the catalyst for the integration of tourism and other businesses between them, as well as with the rest of Europe.

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Albania will join NATO in April, US Deputy Secretary of Defence Gordon R. England said on September 30th after meeting Albanian Defence Minister Gazmend Oketa. He promised Albania would continue reforms to meet NATO membership standards. "Albania is an ally of the [United States] regarding global peace and security," Oketa said.

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Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski received visiting Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic on September 30th in Skopje. The two officials praised relations between the countries, especially in the political field. Crvenkovski congratulated Croatia on its NATO's membership invitation, as well as on its progress in its European integration efforts.

(Various sources 07/10/08-30/09/08)