AXIS MOVES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 176, 26 July 1940, Page 7

AXIS MOVES.

BALKAN EXPANSION.

Several Conferences To Be

Held In Berlin

INCREASING RUSSIAN ALARM

United Press Association.-—Copyright.

(Received 0.30 a.m.) LONDON, July 25. Germany's conferences this weekend with leaders of Balkan States have been expanded to include j Slovakia and possibly Hungary. The official German news agency says the impending visit by Balkan statesmen is intended to regulate and stabilise conditions in south-eastern Europe in a peaceful manner. Economic questions ivill figure largely in the discussions. The Rumanian Prime Minister, Dr. Gigurtu, and the Foreign Minister, M. Manoilescu, will be the first Balkan Ministers to meet the German representatives. They will meet Ribbentrop, the Nazi Foreign Minister, at Salzburg on Friday, and will meet Mussolini in Rome on Saturday. The Bulgarian representative® will be Professor Filofif, the Prime Minister, and M. Popoff, Foreign Minister. Slovakia will be represented by its President, Dr. Tiso, and Prime Minister, M. Tuka. Neutral correspondents in the Balkan capitals consider the conferences represent the initial move on the part of the Axis Powers to formulate Hitler's boasted "new order in Europe." The immediate cause is Hitler's urgent desire for peace in the Balkans in order to obtain constant supplies of war materials, particularly oil. Hungary and Rumania. The Hungarian Foreign Office's organ "Pester Lloyd," says: "After the settlement of problems between Rumania and Hungary through the peaceful cession to Hungary of parts of Transylvania, Rumania and Hungary will sign a pact of friendship." According to the Bucharest eorres- | pondent of the "Daily Mail," more and more German troops are marching into Slovakia and German-occupied Poland, and Russia is increasingly alarmed at Germany's south-eastern moves. A message from Istanbul says the 1911, 1912 and 1913 classes have been called up for service in the Turkish Army. Reinforcements are continually going to Thrace, and there are at least 20 divisions now in Turkey-in-Europe. It is also stated that the Turkish National Assembly voted an additional extraordinary credit of £13,000,000 for ,' defence.

The German Ambassador to Turkey, von Papen, has gone to Berlin under Hitler's instructions.

In Ankara, the Anatolian news agency denied that Turkey and Rumania had broken off trade talks, under which petrol is already being exchanged for Turkish wool and mohair.