To the annoyance of its neighbour Serbia, Bulgaria joined with Hungary and Croatia in a joint statement opening the way for formal recognition of Kosovo as an independent state. In its latest issue, The Sofia Echo records the first reactions.

Elsewhere in the issue, which hits the streets on March 21, The Sofia Echo’s Petar Kostadinov tells the story of the latest episode in the saga of Bulgaria’s troubles in child care, as Sofia’s Assen Zlatarov Home – which with Dutch help has been a success story – runs into trouble with municipal authorities.

In our regional coverage, Spasena Baramova outlines Turkey’s long haul in dealing with the vexed issues of the Kurdish minority and the question of the future of Cyprus, while Elena Koinova explores the details of the agreements on South Stream and the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline.

In Tourism Barometer, Elitsa Savova sketches the picture at Bulgaria’s winter resorts as the season slopes to an end, while in Property Focus, Anelia Zaharieva reports on developments in Albania.

On the lighter side, The Sofia Echo this week devotes just more than four pages to destinations for Easter Getaways – the Orthodox Easter, that is, which will mean a long weekend at the end of April.

On our social pages, there is a selection of photos from two of the year’s premier events, the St Patrick’s Charity Ball in aid of the Cedar Foundation, and the reception hosted by the Irish ambassador in celebration of St Patrick’s Day on March 17.