German Foreign Ministry

Upon an invitation from the Goethe Institute, I recently attended a conference focusing on the relations between the German Foreign Ministry and various foundations. 

While the foundations are keen to underline their sensitivity over their independence and their wish to not be told what to do by the state, the two sides agree nevertheless on the need to have a dialogue.

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words and a single black and white photograph can beat even the most convincing arguments and excuses.

According to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, no Bulgarian citizens were featured on the list of passengers, who were on board of the Germanwings plane, which crashed on Tuesday.

At present the same information is being confirmed by the German Foreign Ministry, the press service of Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry informs.

Technical teams representing Greece?s international creditors are to meet with government officials on Friday, following their arrival in Athens on Thursday, with talks expected to focus on the state of the budget before moving to matters such as a projected fiscal gap and specific reforms next week.

A new sharpening of the bilateral relations between Greece and Germany was caused after Greek media accused the German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble of publicly insulting Greek Financial Minister Varoufakis.

Schäuble has been quoted as saying that Varoufakis is ''foolishly naive'' at the discussions on the Greek financial situation in Brussels Wednesday.

By Angeliki Koutantou

Greece has accused German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble of insulting his Greek counterpart, the latest deterioration in a relationship badly strained by Berlin's tough line on Greece's debt woes.

The Romanian National News Agency AGERPRES has created until this moment a series of four special brochures, on the occasion of the celebration of 135 years of bilateral diplomatic relations between Romania and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, France and Germany.

Greece?s eurozone partners on Friday increased the pressure on the new government to request an extension to the country?s bailout before an emergency summit of eurozone finance ministers on Wednesday, with officials rejecting Greek proposals for a ?bridge? agreement to be put in place until the end of May so that a new arrangement can be found.

"Serbia under no obligation, but should join sanctions"

BERLIN -- Germany "does not agree with the European Commission's position that Serbia, as a candidate, has a legal obligation to introduce sanctions against Russia."

Germany to back chapter opening "when conditions are met"

BERLIN -- The German government welcomed the progress Serbia made, country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement given to Tanjug over the weekend.

It noted at the same time that Berlin "will back the opening of negotiating chapters as soon as the conditions set by the EU are fulfilled."