Section: Novinite (Bulgaria)
EU Invites Russia, Ukraine for Talks over Gas Supply Dispute
The EU has invited the energy ministers of Russia and Ukraine to a meeting over gas supply problems on Monday. The European Commission Vice President for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic had sent letters to the energy ministers of the two countries inviting them to a trilateral meeting in Brussels over gas supplies, a spokesperson said on Thursday....
Bulgaria Expects 3-4% Increase in Tourist Numbers in 2015 Summer Season
Forecasts of Bulgaria’s Tourism Ministry for the 2015 summer season point to a 3-4% growth in tourist numbers, according to Minister Nikolina Angelkova. In a Thursday interview for the Bulgarian National Television (BNT), Angelkova informed that forecasts indicated a decrease in the number of Russian and Ukrainian tourists, which, however,...
Ukraine’s C-Bank Curbs Foreign Currency Buying to Stem Hryvnia’s Decline
Ukraine’s central bank on Wednesday banned all foreign exchange purchases by companies through banks for the rest of the week in a bid to stem a sharp fall in the national currency, the hryvnia. The central bank also intervened in the market to prop up the currency, buying USD 80 M at an official rate of 28 per dollar – close to the...
Prof. Hanke: ‘Ukraine’s brutal inflation’
The collapse of Ukraine’s hryvnia currency, which has lost half of its value against the US dollar since the start of 2015, has resulted in a surge of inflation, Economics Professor Steve Hanke wrote in a recent blog. Hanke, who is professor at Johns Hopkins University and Senior Director of the Troubled Currencies Project at Cato...
Ceasefire Seems to Be Holding in Eastern Ukraine
A long-awaited ceasefire seems to have taken hold at last in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday. The Ukrainian military reported it suffered no combat casualties in the past 24 hours – for the first time in several weeks. Only one soldier had been injured. Pro-Russian rebels said on Wednesday they have pulled back heavy weapons from the front...
Russia Yet to Decide on Potential Halt in Gas Supply to Ukraine
Russia hasn’t decided yet whether to halt gas sales to Ukraine, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday. Russia expects to receive payments for natural gas from Kiev soon, Novak said as quoted by Russian media outlets. Russia’s Gazprom warned on Tuesday that it may suspend deliveries within two days due to...
Normandy Group Calls for Reinforcement of OSCE Mission to Ukraine
The foreign ministers of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany met in the so-called “Normandy format” on Tuesday, calling for the reinforcement of the OSCE monitoring mission to Ukraine. The foreign ministers also called for respect of the ceasefire agreement, that had been agreed by the leaders of the Normandy group earlier in February in Minsk,...
Bulgaria’s Chiren Gas Storage Has Enough Gas for 3 Months
Bulgaria’s Chiren underground gas storage contains enough gas to meet the country’s needs for three months with some restrictions, according to a media statement of the Energy Ministry. The information was released in response to Tuesday’s escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine over gas supplies and the warning of...
UK to Send Military Personnel to Train Ukraine Troops
Britain will send military personnel to Ukraine over the course of next month to help advise and train Ukrainian government forces, British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Tuesday. Speaking before a House of Commons committee, Cameron said up to 75 British service personnel divided into four teams would be deployed to a zone away from the...
Stratfor: Eurozone, Ukraine, Iran – Three Crises ‘Inextricably Linked’
A deal to keep Greece in the eurozone was reached in Brussels, a cease-fire plan was agreed to in Minsk and Iranian negotiators advanced a potential nuclear deal in Geneva within the past two weeks, Stratfor said on Tuesday. “Understanding how these crises are inextricably linked is the first step toward assessing when and where the next flare-up...
