site.btaBalkan Brief

Following is a daily update of political and economic developments across the Balkans on Tuesday:

Greece to Build Second LNG Terminal at Alexandroupolis

Athens - Greece will build a second liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Alexandroupolis, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in an address to Parliament on the country's reaction to the Russian invasion in Ukraine, the Greek media reported.

In his speech, Mitsotakis declared Greece's full support for the sanctions against Russia and readiness to receive refugees from Ukraine.

The Greek Prime Minister described the events that began last week in Ukraine as a watershed in time and the long history of Europe. "[Russian President Vladimir] Putin's decision is a clear violation of the UN Charter and the rules for settling interstate disputes by peaceful means," Mitsotakis said, as quoted by ANA-MPA.

According to him, "the Russian invasion is aimed at forcibly changing the security architecture in Europe, the Russian threats against Sweden and Finland speak for themselves."

Mitsotakis said the West is called to be re-baptized. "We can not stand by indifferently before authoritarian leaders who want to redesign the borders. There is no room for equal distances here. The answer can be no other than strategic autonomy of Europe," he added.

Speaking on energy issues, Mitsotakis said blackmail attempts on the part of Russia could not be ruled out. Such a prospect will probably cause temporary price spikes, but ways to react have been developed at both national and European level.

In connection with this, the Greek Prime Minister announced the country will build a second LNG terminal with private funds in Alexandroupolis.

Number of Ukrainian Refugees in Romania May Reach 50,000 A Day 

Bucharest - The number of refugees arriving in Romania as a result of the conflict in Ukraine will soon exceed 100,000 if military action continues with the same intensity, Romanian government sources judged, as quoted by Agerpres agency.

Analyses of both the Romanian authorities and international partners say this conflict may continue for several months, but also two or three years.

Romanian government sources find that ion case of heavier military actions, Romania may find itself in a situation of a daily 50,000 refugees arriving from Ukraine. The same sources say the number of refugees could reach several hundred thousand.

Nearly 89,000 Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania since the beginning of the conflict and some 50,000 have left the country's territory. Interior Minister Lucian Bode said on Monday that 718 Ukrainians have sought asylum in Romania.

The Romanian Border Police said Tuesday that 22,596 Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania in the last 24 hours, 4 per cent less than the previous day.

Croatian Army Raises Army Alert

Zagreb - The Croatian army has raised the degree of alert in view of the developments in the world, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said.

"We are following closely what is happening close by, in Southeastern Europe. We do not wish to see destabilization at some of our neighbours," Plenkovic said at a news conference late on Monday.

Taking a question about the statement of Hungarian Prime Minister that Hungary would not allow lethal aid across Hungarian territory, Plenkovic answered that each country acts according to what it considers its best interests. He added that Croatia had consulted with Hungary on the matter.

Croatia has taken its decision, it understands Ukraine's needs, Croatia knows what it was like in the beginning of the 1990s and everyone stands behind his choice and decisions, Plenkovic said.

The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction that the opposition in Parliament had supported the government's measures in relation to the Ukrainian crisis.

Turkey Urges Respect for Black Sea Straits Pact

Ankara - Turkey is calling on all sides in the Ukraine crisis to respect an international pact on passage through the Turkish straits to the Black Sea, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar was cited as saying on Tuesday after Ankara closed access, Reuters reported.

Speaking to reporters, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said: "Over the years, the status quo of Montreux has been maintained very successfully. While the convention is beneficial to all riparian countries, it also regulates the entry and exit of (ships of) other countries to the Black Sea," the Anadolu agency reported.

"We see benefit in maintaining the Montreux Convention. We continue our work within this framework. We consider it is beneficial for all parties to comply with the rules brought by Montreux," he added.

The 1936 convention gives Turkey the authority to ban warships from the straits during times of war. There is a clause, however, that exempts ships returning to their home harbor.

Last Thursday Ukraine asked Turkey to close Canakkale (Dardanelles) and Istanbul (Bosphorus) Straits to Russian ships./LN/BR