Turkish military forces have reportedly occupied an island in the Evros River, the natural border between Turkey and Greece. Athens has denied the reports, yet relations between the Mediterranean neighbors remain tense. Border tensions between Greece and Turkey aren’t new. Back in 2012, Greek authorities erected a 3-meter (10-foot) high barbed wire fence along 10 kilometers (6 miles) of the Evros River, which runs between the two countries, to stem “irregular migration.” Source Deutsche Welle
Serbia has raised the combat readiness of its troops on the border with Kosovo as a four-day flare-up over mutual recognition of state authority bedevils the Balkan neighbors, with Serbia’s president suggesting there are limits to what Belgrade will “tolerate.” Source Radio Free Europe
Pipeline gas supplies from Russia to Europe in 2021 reached historic highs, Gazprom increased gas production year-on-year by 18.4%. The accusations that Gazprom is not supplying gas to Europe are absurd, Head of Contract Structuring and Price Formation Directorate for Gazprom Export Sergey Komlev said in his article for Gazprom corporate magazine. Source TASS
Sweden’s government and Public Health Agency confirmed that it will definitely go ahead with the fourth and penultimate stage of its re-opening plan next week, with a firm warning for unvaccinated people. Source The Local
