Balkan developments

Romania agrees to allow US to use its military bases for Iran missions

50.4% of Romanians consider that Romania should maintain a balance between the EU and the United States amid tensions between Brussels and the US administration led by President Donald Trump, according to a survey by the sociological agency INSCOP. According to 22.7% of respondents, Romania should align more with the position of the European Union, while 22.1% believe the country should strengthen its ties with the United States. The idea of maintaining a balance between the EU and the US is mainly supported by voters of Romania’s two ruling parties– the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party, BTA reported.

Public opinion did not prevent the Romanian parliament from approving the US request to temporarily use Romanian military bases for Iran missions. 

Serbia acquires hypersonic ballistic missiles from China

The Serbian army has become the first armed force in Europe to acquire hypersonic ballistic missiles, reports the American portal Military Watch.

Images showing a Serbian Air Force MiG-29 fighter jet flying with two Chinese-supplied ballistic missiles indicate that Serbia has become the second foreign operator of this type of missile after Pakistan, according to Serbian state television RTS. The published image shows a MiG-29 at Batajnica airbase with registration number 18205, equipped with two CM-400 AKG missiles mounted under its wings. The air-to-ground missile weighs 910 kg and has a range of over 300 km.

“We have a significant number of these missiles and we will have even more”, President Aleksandar Vučić told RTS. 

The Durrës–Tirana line will be Albania’s first electrified railway

The Durrës-Tirana railway line, currently under construction, is expected to be operational by 2027, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced.

The railway line will have 12 stations and will be the first electrified railway in the country. It is part of a broader plan to modernize Albania’s railway infrastructure and integrate it into European transport networks. According to Edi Rama, over the past six years, projects have been developed for the construction of approximately 500 km of railway lines. Planned projects include the Vora–Hani i Hotit line, which will connect Albania with Montenegro, as well as sections of Corridor No. 8, BGNES reports.

In cooperation with Kosovo, feasibility studies have been completed for a 105-kilometer railway connection between the two countries, which would include 14 tunnels and 43 bridges.

Türkiye considers lowering university starting age to 15

The Turkish government is considering shortening the country’s mandatory 12-year education system and lowering the university starting age to 15, Türkiye’s Minister of Education Yusuf Tekin told turkiyetoday.com.

“In this era when access to information is so easy, our children should be able to continue to higher education at younger ages”, Minister Tekin told reporters. He emphasized that these changes are currently still under discussion and assessment, and that whether they are implemented will depend entirely on Türkiye’s parliament.

One year since the Kočani nightclub fire, which claimed 63 lives

“Tragedies should never be an area for discord. They should be moments of solidarity, humanity and unity”, said North Macedonia’s Parliament Speaker Afrim Gashi during a commemorative session marking the anniversary of the Kočani fire tragedy, the MIA news agency reported.

On March 16, 2025, 63 people lost their lives and 223 suffered severe burns and poisoning in the “Pulse” nightclub in Kočani.

To mark the anniversary, North Macedonia's government is organizing an international conference on March 14 titled “Institutional and Clinical Aspects and Solutions After the Kočani Fire – One Year Later.” The forum will bring together representatives from institutions, health experts, international organizations, and humanitarian partners.

Edited by Ivo Ivanov

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov