Michael Martens @Andric1961 Twitter profile

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

Comments and constructive criticism always welcome. Those who are uninterested in real debates or resort to slurs and insults instead of arguments will be blocked immediately so that they can be among their own kind. Rudeness against anyone will be sorted out as well. You decide.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

24 days

Belgrade is Europe's largest city without a subway. Unfortunately, it is also Europe's largest city without a wastewater treatment plant and a proper sewage system. In Belgrade, the feces of 1.7 million people and all kinds of industrial effluents reach the Danube untreated. 🧵⬇️

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Never forget: sanctions are a double-edged sword. If we confiscate villas & soccer clubs of Putins oligarchs in 🇬🇧 or their yachts in the Mediterranean, Russia will confiscate our oligarchs' yachts in Lake Baikal & their villas & soccer clubs in Siberia. Are we ready for this?

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

An unlikely coalition of the US, the EU, a Turkish autocrat, a Caucasian dictator, a Greek Prime Minister & international energy companies helped Bulgaria to become independent from Russian gas basically overnight. Spent a week in Bulgaria for the story of an amazing liberation:

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Zur Debatte um den möglichen Einstieg des chinesischen Staatskonzerns COSCO in den Hamburger Hafen. Nirgends in Europa kennt man COSCO besser als in Griechenland, wo die Chinesen schon seit Jahren der Hafen von Piräus kontrollieren. Wie sind die griechischen Erfahrungen?

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

4 years

Während Stalin sich in Jalta wieder einmal über Churchills veraltetes Smartphone lustig macht, rächt sich dieser, indem er einen uralten Tweet von Trotzki retweetet und sogar favt. Als Stalin das am nächsten Morgen sieht, blockiert er Churchill und entfolgt ihm.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

8 months

Edi Rama is arguably the best Prime Minister Serbia had since Nikola Pašić.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Apart from Belarus, Serbia was one of the few countries in Europe that had not unequivocally condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine. Government friendly tabloids in Belgrade ran on the headline “Ukraine attacked Russia.” Now, there are new developments.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

24 days

And indeed, the Danube near Belgrade can be life-threatening – because it is literally a sewer. The closer he swam to Belgrade, the more clearly he felt how the Danube was changing. Literally. The water became warmer. It smelled different (and definitely not better).

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

3 years

Grateful to @avucic as he took the time for a comprehensive background talk with my friend Benjamin Moser and me today. It is good to know Belgrades position, especially on 🇧🇦,🇲🇪 and the EU. I sense interesting times ahead. Will the EU be up to the task?

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

24 days

Fath spontaneously explained to the documentary filmmaker who accompanied his project why he did so: “I'm not going swimming, no way. Nobody wants to go swimming here. 1.7 million people pipe their shit (in the Danube) here.”

Trailer "Bis ins Meer" (Andreas Fath & Shane Thomas McMillan) -...

Trailer zum Film "Bis ins Meer" von Prof. Andreas Fath. "Im Frühling 2022 durchschwimmt Andreas Fath die Donau. 2.700 km. Für einen sauberen Fluss voller Leb...

www.youtube.com

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

24 days

The situation is bad. "No big city in Europe commits such a crime towards its rivers," Serbia´s infrastructure minister Goran Vesic famously said in 2020, when he was still Deputy Mayor of Belgrade.

Brown Danube: How Belgrade's sewers taint Europe's famous river

Just down the road from Belgrade's historic city centre, gates open for trucks to pass to the banks of the Danube, where they dump raw sewage into Europe's venerated river.

phys.org

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

10 months

Kann man Journalismus betreiben, sich aber den Sorgfaltspflichten der Branche entziehen? Jan Böhmermann, seine Assistentin Hanna Herbst und deren Truppe scheinen zu glauben: Ja, kann man. Dazu hat das @mediummagazin nun eine interessante Recherche veröffentlicht.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

24 days

For those details and the whole story, see Frankfurter Allgemeine, available on paper as of Saturday or online immediately:

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

24 days

A Serbian biologist had already warned Fath a day's swimming journey upriver: “If I were you, I wouldn't swim in Belgrade. The last person who was in the water there for a longer of time had to be taken to hospital.”

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

24 days

Fath noticed dark crests of foam and greasy films on the surface of the water. “You can also notice the change in the color. The water is becoming more and more like of a brownish broth”, Fath says. He feared for his health and his project. So he got out of the water.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

24 days

In April 2022, the German Andreas Fath started an experiment. He wanted to swim down the Danube, (almost) from the source in Germany to the mouth in Romania. 2857 kilometers. (Apart from the first few kilometers, as there the Danube is too shallow for swimming).

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Warum müssen in der Normandie durch die amerikanische Invasion täglich mehr Menschen sterben und Städte zerstört werden? Warum riskiert das Warschauer Ghetto, Kriegspartei zu werden, wenn ein Kompromiss mit Berlin unvermeidlich ist? Herzlich, Ihre @SWagenknecht

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Many probably think Belarus is the only European country openly supporting Putin's aggression against Ukraine. But this is not the case. Here are some front pages of totally or partly pro-government Serbian newspapers today:

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

24 days

The results of the water samples taken in Belgrade confirmed his decision: “Many results from Belgrade were the worst in the entire Danube. They were close to a critical limit – if this limit is reached, the water will collapse,” Fath says. Collapse? What does that even mean?

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

24 days

Fath was not the first to do this, and yet his attempt was something special. He is not only an enthusiastic swimmer, but also a professor of chemistry at the Furtwangen University in Germany. His area of special expertise: water pollution.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

24 days

A week later, Budapest came into view, and another seven days later Vukovar in Croatia. On May 24th, Fath was about to reach Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. But this is when things took a turn Fath had not expected. Because in Belgrade, he had to interrupt his project.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

24 days

Basically, the Danube is its own sewage treatment plant and breaks down discharged pollutants, like any large river, says Fath. “But in this process, oxygen is consumed – and if there is too little of it in the water, the consequences are fatal.”

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

4 years

Enttäuscht von den sozialen Medien, wandte sich Konrad Adenauer ab Mitte 1954 wieder ernsthafter Lektüre zu.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

24 days

“Then anaerobic processes set in and toxic gases such as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide or methane are produced. This is toxic for all kinds of living beings.” In the summer of 2022, the Danube in Belgrade was on the verge of entering into such a process, Fath claims.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Russia out, Kosovo in? Several reliable sources confirm that Kosovo will "very soon" initiate the process of becoming a full member state of the Council of Europe. Mathematically and politically, chances for success are deemed to be good. More in tomorrow´s edition of F.A.Z.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

24 days

Everything went fine in beginning. In the second half of April 2022, Fath swam through the German part of the Danube. He reached Linz in Austria on May 2nd, and Vienna on May 6th. On the next day, he was already in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

24 days

Fath didn't swim alone. After he set off from the German town of Sigmaringen in April 2002, he was joined by a research vessel a little bit further downstream. The scientists on that vessel regularly took water samples from the Danube for various detailed analyses.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

24 days

“The limit at which toxic gases are produced is four milligrams of oxygen per liter of water. In Belgrade we measured just five milligrams,” says Fath. And Belgrade is growing. Which means, (please excuse my French): More and more shit is being pumped in the Danube every day.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

In eigener Sache: Nach 20 schönen Jahren bei der F.A.Z. (zunächst in Russland & Afghanistan, dann am Balkan & in der Türkei) war es an der Zeit, neue Herausforderungen zu suchen. War aber zu faul zum Suchen und mache deshalb einfach weiter wie bisher. Vielleicht noch 20 Jahre.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

24 days

Then why is nothing done about this, you might ask. Well, it is. There are plans. There are first local treatment plants. But a comprehensive solution is not anywhere near. Because this is where the story gets complicated. And expensive.

First of Five Waste Water Treatment Facilities in Belgrade to Cover Needs of 1.3 Million Residents

www.ekapija.com

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

8 months

Some thoughts on the recent bloodshed in Kosovo.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Alexandroupoli, dubbed the "Nato port" in 🇬🇷, has become one of the most interesting places in Southeast Europe, both militarily & economically. Military, as arms shipments go from here to Bulgaria, Romania & further into 🇺🇦. The port is a logistics hub for the US navy/military.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

24 days

Exposure to X-ray contrast agents, antibiotics and all sorts of drug residues can also be found in higher concentrations in the Belgrade section of the Danube than anywhere else along the river, as the wastewater from Belgrade´s hospitals also reaches the water untreated.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

Two tankers with American liquid gas left for Bulgaria at short notice. "That was great from the US, it really helped (us) because it was almost overnight and we had to do something", Mr. Petkow remembers.

PM Petkov negotiates US LNG supplies cheaper than Gazprom's - Българска национална телевизия

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Kiril Petkov on May 11 met with US Vice President Kamala Harris. During the meeting in the white house, the two discussed st...

bnt.bg

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia, but Serbia is still struggling to gain independence from Kosovo.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

4 months

Having read your books, I would confirm what is common knowledge anyway: Serbs lost because of nationalistic and intellectually provincial morons like you, Borisav.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

3 years

Just spoke to people who live in the house in Belgrade that is "adorned" with a mural of the war criminal Ratko Mladić. What they say sounds like a mixture of Kafka and a horror story. Because it is. A thread:

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

The north of Kosovo saw some clashes on Sunday, not for the first time. So is a new war looming in the Balkans, possibly supported by Russia? Although one has to be careful with forecasts, I dare to say: no. A (long) thread on the military situation in the region.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

Petkov says no: "Relying on Russia is crazy," he says. If Putin wanted to demonstrate how to use energy as an instrument of power in Bulgaria, he failed miserably. More, as always, in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung:

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

24 days

It is a story about political will and spending priorities, about the “China Machinery Engineering Corporation” and Western financial institutions unwilling to pay for Chinese contractors, plus many other factors & actors.

First industrial biological plant for wastewater treatment opens

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic opened the first industrial biological wastewater treatment plant in Belgrade today at the Smurfit Kappa doo factory.

www.srbija.gov.rs

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

5 years

Advice for a young writer: Start denying war crimes in Syria, visit Assad, describe him as a humble man haunted by an evil public, contrast this with some poetic words about the colour of Syrian apples. Thus, 20 years from now you might be awarded the Nobel prize for literature.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

3 years

Es gibt Menschen, die arbeiten über drei, fünf, sieben oder noch mehr Jahre hinweg an einem Buch, geben mehrere Jahresurlaube hin zum Recherchieren & Schreiben. Andere rotzen Copy-paste-Texte in Buchform hin – und dann soll es eine „Kampagne“ sein, darauf aufmerksam zu machen?

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

Azerbaijan now supplies a third of Bulgaria's annual gas needs. The contract runs for more than 20 years. Another actor that Petkov expressly praises is the EU: The fact that Bulgaria is a member helped it break away from Gazprom, he says.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Ein weiterer Informant sagt: „Cosco wird in vielen europäischen Häfen immer stärker. Man stelle sich vor, wie schwer es für die Europäer wäre, Sanktionen durchzuhalten, wenn China morgen Taiwan angreift.“

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

5 years

Friendly reminder: Peter #Handke is not despised by many because he stood by “the Serbs”. He is despised because he stood by the kleptocratic and brutal Milosevic-regime, which is not the same. On Oct. 5th 2000 one million Serbs in Belgrade brought down the regime Handke hailed.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

6 years

Im Alter bedauerte Martin Luther, den #Reformationstag ausgerechnet auf Helloween gelegt zu haben. Er schrieb an Melanchthon: „Es sint meine Teutschen abgelencket durch Gauckelwerk von disem teufflischen kürbiswahn, wider den ich zu felde liege und ihn schier weg hawen will.“

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

After days of hesitation, Serbia took a stand on 🇺🇦. Core message: No sanctions against Russia. Serbia will be a safe haven for Putin & his criminal elite. The Russian aggressor is allowed to continue doing business via its Serbian ally. More soon.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

He traveled to the US, spoke to Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Both were "very constructive", Petkow says: "They wanted to show that Russia cannot successfully use gas as a weapon."

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

Mitsotakis and Petkov are both Harvard graduates, both have entrepreneurial experience, they think alike. “We were almost something like operation managers. If there was a bottleneck during construction, we got involved personally”, Petkov explains.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

11 months

On the current situation in the Balkans: The EU is threatening sanctions against the Kurti government in Kosovo, but not against Serbian leaders Vucic and Dodik. This is absurd, mildly put. But there seems to be an explanation for Western leniency towards Belgrade.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

Petkov describes how EU Council President Charles Michel helped establishing contacts with British Petroleum, an important player in Azerbaijan's gas fields: "Everyone made an effort. I felt supported”, Petkov summarizes.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

On April 27, 2022, Gazprom stopped supplying Bulgaria with gas. Back then, Bulgaria had received about 90% of its gas from Russia. Armageddon scenarios made the rounds: A collapsing industry, people freezing in cold houses, misery.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Mehr gibt es da, wo es auch sonst mehr gibt. In der F.A.Z.:

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

5 months

Irregular migration has been an issue in Europe for a long time. Irregular voter migration has received little attention so far. But that may change. On the elections in Serbia. (For details, see Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Lokale griechische Unternehmer sind auch nicht begeistert von COSCO, weil für sie nichts abfällt. „Die Chinesen kaufen nichts in Griechenland, sie importieren noch die letzte Schraube“, heißt es in Piräus.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

Besides, after years of delays, the so-called "interconnector" between Greece and Bulgaria finally went into operation in October 2022. Both Azerbaijani and other gas can now flow to Bulgaria via this connection.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

Petkow thanked Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan for helping out: "The Turkish government created capacity in its ports for the two tankers at short notice." Another autocrat also contributed: Azerbaijan's dictator Ilhan Aliev. "I had very good talks with Aliyev," says Petkov.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

5 years

Serbian pro-government tabloids calling the destruction of #NotreDame “Gods punishment” for France having recognized Kosovo. Probably there are more disgusting things in the world than Serbian tabloids. Although right now I can´t think of any.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

Thus, a project that had not been completed for ten years could be completed within months. Petkov claims earlier delays had to do with disruptive maneuvers by the Kremlin and the stance of his predecessor Boyko Borissov.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

17 days

Will Kosovo be the world´s first country with a Muslim majority to offer its citizens the right of same sex civil unions? It seems so. This is at least what Kosovo´s Prime minister Albin Kurti has announced during his visit to Berlin. What would that mean? A 🧵⬇️

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

Former Bulgarian Prime Minister Kyrill Petkov says that when he took office in late 2021, his country was 95% dependent on Russian gas. That is why Bulgaria was not prepared for a complete oil and gas boycott against Moscow immediately after the start of the Russian attack on 🇺🇦

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

The Serbian state protects murals of past war criminal Ratko Mladić & demonstrations for current war criminal Vladimir Putin. Nope, this is not all you need to know about Serbia. But it is a crucial thing you need to know about its current government.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

7 months

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is supposed to be on CNN tonight, I was told yesterday. Will be interesting to hear how he describes the situation in an environment where he cannot control the questions.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

It is simply incredible how many of our modern words actually derived from ancient Greek...

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

Turkstream's Bulgarian arm took only two years to build. "But the short link to Greece that could have reduced Bulgaria's dependence on Russia years ago has not been completed by Borisov in all his years in power from 2009 to 2021", Petkov says.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Rein wirtschaftlich ist die Sache eine fulminante Erfolgsgeschichte. Als COSCO einstieg, lag Piräus in der Rangliste der größten Güterhäfen Europas auf Platz 20. Inzwischen nimmt er nach Rotterdam, Antwerpen und Hamburg Platz vier ein. Als Nächstes soll Hamburg überholt werden.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Der verkauf des Hafens wurde 2008 beschlossen und trat 2009 in Kraft, unter der Regierung von Kostas Karamanlis. Damals war von Griechenlands Schuldenkrise, einer Troika und erzwungenen Privatisierungen noch nicht die Rede.

Greece's Piraeus Port seals deal with Cosco

Greece's Piraeus Port (OLP) and China's Cosco Pacific sealed the final terms of an estimated 4.3 billion euro deal that will see Cosco operate OLP cargo facilities for up to 35 years, an OLP official...

www.reuters.com

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

On Russians and Serbs. (Well. That is way too pompous. So let this thread better be called: On some Russians and some Serbs.)

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Chinas Interesse am Ausbau der Schienenwege in Südosteuropa hängt damit zusammen. Das wichtigste Eisenbahnprojekt der Region ist derzeit der Ausbau Verbindung Belgrad-Budapest zu einer Schnellstrecke. Es bauen: China und Russland.

Work starts on high-speed Belgrade-Budapest railway

Completion of delayed rail project now expected by the end of 2024

www.constructionbriefing.com

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

„Das hätte auf die von Cosco betriebenen oder mitbetriebenen Häfen in Europa erheblichen Einfluss. Es gibt hier eine Abhängigkeit von einem chinesischen Staatsunternehmen, der die EU im Fall eines Konflikts zumindest kurzfristig nichts entgegenzusetzen hätte.“

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Some days ago, Europe and large parts of the world were shocked and disgusted to see pro-Putin demonstrations in Serbia. But the pro-war-camp does not represent the entire country. The decent Serbia demonstrated today in Belgrade – against Russian aggression, for Ukraine.

Srdjan Cvijic

@srdjancvijic

2 years

Razvija se zastava #SlavaUkraine

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

"After we came to power, the interconnector was our most important project," says Petkow. He says he was on the phone with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis every week on this matter.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

"I think there was a crucial Gazprom lobby connected to the Borisov government." Petkov cannot prove such allegations, but certain details stand out. “Borisov spent 1.5 billion euros of taxpayers money to extend the Russian pipeline Turkstream´ through Bulgaria to Serbia.´”

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

However, it was now also necessary to secure suitable ports in order to unload the LNG tankers and feed it into the Bulgarian grid in regasified form. A huge hurdle. "The berths were booked out well in advance everywhere in the region," says Petkow.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Serbian President Vucic has signed a conclusion by the National Security Council, which the EU should carefully read. Core message: No sanctions against Russia. Serbia will be a safe haven for Putin & his criminal elite. Russia may do business via its Serbian ally. Details:

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Zur Vorgeschichte: Es wird gern behauptet, Griechenland habe den Hafen nur auf Druck der Troika oder der Bundesregierung verkauft, die EU, Berlin und Griechenlands Gläubiger seien also Schuld daran, dass den Chinesen jetzt der Hafen gehört. Nur: Das stimmt nicht.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

"Industry would have stood still overnight, heating would also have become difficult", Petkov says. The filling level of the only Bulgarian gas storage facility in the town of Chiren had fallen to 17%in April “We literally only had gas for a few days,” Petkow says.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Allerdings gibt auch Manos zu, dass es politische Risiken gibt: „Ich bin mir nicht sicher, inwieweit der griechische Staat im Fall eines Konflikts kontrollieren könnte, was in diesem Hafen wirklich vor sich geht.“

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

In Eastern Europe, we have corruption. When it happens in the West, it is called networking. (Source: The subtleties of the English language, lesson I).

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Das geschah zwar im Zuge der griechischen Schuldenkrise. Doch die Behauptung, die unter anderem Ex-Außenminister Sigmar Gabriel verbreitet, dass die Vergabe der Konzession an die Chinesen sei auf Druck der EU oder Berlins erfolgt, ist so nicht haltbar. Es war Athens Initiative.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

8 months

The Western Balkan countries already know it from experience, Ukraine and Moldova are about to find out: There is no such thing as EU-enlargement anymore. The path to full membership has become an impenetrable labyrinth.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

A few weeks ago, a contract was signed with US company Westinghouse, which is to replace part of the Russian supplies for Kozloduy. French company Framatome is also to join.

Westinghouse’s VVER-1000 Nuclear Fuel Fabrication Agreement Helps Cement Bulgaria’s Energy Security

Westinghouse Electric Company and Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) have signed a 10-year contract to fabricate and deliver VVER-1000 nuclear fuel for Unit 5. This new agreement guarantees reliable...

info.westinghousenuclear.com

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Es stimmt allerdings, dass der chinesische Anteil mit der Zeit noch einmal wuchs (COSCO gehört inzwischen auf Zeit 67% der Hafengesellschaft). Das geschah, als Ministerpräsident Alexis Tsipras vom „Bündnis der radikalen Linken“ regierte.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Hopefully, in addition to Ukrainian refugees, Europe will also welcome all those Russians who have had an will have to flee from Putin's dictatorship, the best & brightest of their country. Until they can return to a liberated 🇷🇺, they will need our help - and will help us.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

Extending the Turkstream to Serbia (and further to Hungary) was indeed part of Russia's strategy to supply gas to European markets bypassing Ukraine. According to Petkov, this shows that Borisov's commitment to the West was never worth much.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

24 days

@thijsniks True, and neither does Odessa, but both cities are much smaller than Belgrade. (And I do hope Manchester has a water treatment plant...)

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Das wirtschaftlich nutzbare Hinterland von Piräus reicht bis nach Tschechien, denn es kann schneller (also günstiger) sein, Güter in Athen zu entladen und per Schiene weiter bis nach Prag zu transportieren, als sie per Schiff weiter nordwärts zu bringen.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Mehrfach schon wurden Investitionspläne von griechischen Gerichten gestoppt, weil zB Umweltverträglichkeitsstudien mangelhaft waren.

Greek Court Blocks Expansion of Major Port Under Chinese Deal

The court blocked the expansion of the passenger port of Piraeus that were part of a development agreement with a Chinese company worth 4.3 billion euros because an environmental assessment was not...

balkaninsight.com

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Piräus, der erste große europäische Hafen nach dem Suez-Kanal, hat für die Chinesen eine ideale Lage. Der Hafen hat ein Einzugsgebiet, das nicht nur ganz Südosteuropa umfasst, sondern weit darüber hinaus reicht.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Es handelt sich bei dem Geschäft auch nicht um einen Verkauf, sondern um mehrere Konzessionen mit 35 bis 40 Jahren Laufzeit. In einem Fall sind noch 23 Jahre übrig. Dabei muss sich China an europäische Standards halten.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

Wie sauber recherchiert Jan Böhmermann? Einige Anmerkungen. Mit Dank an alle, die bei der Recherche halfen oder wichtige Anregungen gaben, allen voran natürlich der unermüdlichen @MelinaBorcak . (Ab jetzt hinter der paywall, damit wir auch morgen noch kraftvoll zubeißen können).

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

On the other hand, it was Borisov who made sure that Bulgaria bought a 20% stake in the floating LNG terminal under construction off Alexandropouli in Greece. Via this terminal, Bulgaria will be able to import gas from the US, Qatar and other countries from 2024.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

20 days

Traf heute @CarloMasala1 . Erzählte ihm, dass in einer Wiener Pizzeria eine Pizza nach ihm benannt ist. "Pizza Masala", von Stammgästen "Pizza Carlo" genannt. Eine mit extra viel Ananas sowie Preiselbeeren verfeinerte Pizza Hawaii. Aber es schien ihn nicht recht zu freuen.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Für viele Konzerne ist deshalb Piräus längst ihr Hafen der Wahl, nicht mehr Antwerpen, Rotterdam oder Hamburg. 2012/13 entschied sich Hewlett-Packard, Importe nach Europa von Rotterdam nach Piräus zu verlagern. Andere folgten.

Hewlett-Packard picks Piraeus as transit center | eKathimerini.com

The Development Ministry confirmed on Wednesday the provisional agreement recently signed between Cosco and Hewlett-Packard (HP) for the use of Dock II in Piraeus, which appears to be a very promis...

www.ekathimerini.com

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

But if that's the case, why did the EU Commission allow Borissov to go ahead with Turkstream? "Good question”, Petkow answers. “I think all of Europe was blindsided on this issue”.

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

2 years

Alle griechischen Regierungschefs seit 2008 (Karamanlis, Papandreou, Samaras, Tsipras, Mitsotakis) haben sich für die starke Rolle von COSCO ausgesprochen. Es waren Athener Entscheidungen, die dazu führten, und sie begannen lange vor der Schuldenkrise

China, Greece agree to push ahead with COSCO's Piraeus Port investment

China and Greece agreed on Monday to push ahead with a 600 million euros investment by COSCO Shipping into Greece's largest port, Piraeus, as part of efforts to boost its role as a hub in rapidly...

www.reuters.com

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

Schöner Germanismus im Kroatischen für eine Mischform aus Tagedieb, Tagträumer oder Tunichtgut: Luftinspektor. Ein Germanismus, den es so im Deutschen selbst nicht gibt (jedenfalls noch nie gehört).

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

"That's true," Petkov admits, but he immediately adds: "Borisov always tried to be on good terms with Russia and the West, that was his game. But the extension of Turkstream via Bulgaria was the greatest possible geopolitical gift for Putin.”

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

1 year

Hut ab vor der Lebensleistung der renommierten Osteuropahistorikerin und -kennerin Alice Schwarzer, die auf ihren vielen Reisen durch Russland & die 🇺🇦im Laufe der Dekaden ein sicheres Gespür für die Länder entwickelt hat. Aber muss sich Schwarzer nun auch zum Feminismus äußern?

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Michael Martens

@Andric1961

4 years

Just another cabinet meeting in Bavaria, Germany.

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