Interview with war reporter Bud Wichers
After 13 years of civil war, the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria has fallen almost without a fight. The
rebel HTS (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) has taken power and is trying to make a peaceful transition. In the
meantime, the US, Israel and Turkey are bombing places that are strongholds of ISIS, the Kurdish party
or places that are suspected of having remnants of chemical weapons used by Assad. In this episode, we
talk to war reporter Bud Wichers from the Netherlands who has been reporting from Syria since the
very beginning of the uprising in 2011. Wichers has extensive experience reporting from the Middle
East, and in Syria he reported from the biggest hot spots and was in contact with almost all the factions
fighting in Syria. He says it is good that the regime has finally fallen, but he is still suspicious of possible
terrorist hot spots, that is, he suspects that HTS has severed all ties with its previous “umbrella” Al Nusra
Front, which was practically the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda.
огранок на Ал Каеда.
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Old parliamentary majority – tectonic changes in some member states after the Union elections
Analysis with Andreja Stojkovski: the European elections and Macedonian bilateral relations with the neighbors
The European elections ended without a change in the parliamentary majority, but with an increase in the number of far-right MPs. The composition of the European Parliament may not undergo major changes, but changes are taking place in the domestic politics of member states with great political influence. What this will mean for the Union and its individual policies in the future, we analyze with Andreja Stojkovski from the Prespa Institute. The enlargement policy, the green agenda, as well as the Common Foreign and Security Policy are some of the topics we discussed. We also analyzed our strained relations with our neighbors and the expectations from the future Macedonian Government when it comes to bilateral agreements with the neighbors.
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Macedonia got a new President - Eastern European countries are fighting for democracy
Analysis of Macedonian diplomacy, Callings from Georgia and Ukraine on the situation with the protests and the war.
The first guest in this edition of Labyrinth is the former Ambassador of Macedonia to Sweden and Romania, Tihomir Ilievski. We talked about the oath taken by the new President and the reactions it caused among our neighbors. Despite the reactions and difficulties in bilateral relations, the diplomat is still optimistic about the European integration of Macedonia, as well as about the normalization of relations in the entire Balkans.
In Georgia, massive civil protests are taking place over the law on "foreign agents" which moves the country away from the European path, but also seriously threatens the livelihood and freedom of Georgian citizens. From Tbilisi, we were joined by Ekaterine Basilaia - director of the Center for Media and Social Research of Georgia, who explained in more detail what this law is and why so many people took to the streets. We discussed the use of excessive force by the police in arresting peaceful protesters and the legal fight to protect those detained.
In Labyrinth, we also included the volunteer in the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces, Volodymyr Sapekhin. Volodymyr has been going to the fronts and back for more than two years. We talked about the current situation on the fronts, about the progress of Russian forces in the Kharkiv region, but also about his personal feelings about the two realities he lives in.
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Tencions in Serbia: Citizens do not give up – the government does not give in
Interview with the MP, Srdjan Milivojevic
Tensions and protests in Serbia are not subsiding. Citizens are not giving up on demanding responsibility for the accident in which 15 people lost their lives. In the meantime, the government is arresting protesters, and the opposition is trying to get them out of custody. Students from almost all faculties across Serbia have also started blockades. We talk about this and the opposition's future steps with the MP from the Democratic Party, Srdjan Milivojevic.
Watch the full interview.
