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Stories in this section cover the EU-27 countries plus the UK, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Andorra and the Balkan Countries (Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia).

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A new era of peace in the Eastern Mediterranean

A new era of peace in the Eastern Mediterranean

A ground breaking meeting between the President of Turkiye, Recip Tayip Erdogan, and Greek Prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, on Monday (13 May) is being hailed as the dawn of a new era of peace in the Eastern Mediterranean. Mitsotakis was in Ankara as the guest of the Turkish leader. There are no unsolvable problems between Athens and Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, as he and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis praised the state of relations between the two neighbors while pledging to further enhance bilateral ties. "We had a constructive and positive meeting and discussed problems in Türkiye-Greece relations; We will solve problems through dialogue," Erdoğan said at a joint news conference with Mitsotakis. Erdoğan said that Ankara and Athens are committed to resolving issues via "cordial dialogue, good neighborly ties, and international law" as outlined in last year's Athens Declaration on Friendly Relations and Good-Neighborliness. Improvement of bilateral relations with Türkiye is yielding concrete and positive results, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said "I can only begin by thanking you for the warm hospitality today in Ankara, it was a fourth meeting in the last 10 months, which I believe proves that the two neighbors can now establish this approach of mutual understanding, no longer as some exception, but as a productive normality that is not negated by the known differences in our positions," Mitsotakis said. He said bilateral relations have been progressing, as agreed by the parties, on three levels: political dialogue, positive agenda and confidence-building measures. "I believe that it is a positive development in a difficult time for international peace, but also for the broader stability in our region," the Greek leader said.

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Opinion
From Russia, with love!

From Russia, with love!

The unexpected visit of Foreign Minister Lavrov to Baku has fueled speculation about “new” Russian initiatives in the Caucasus. In this op-ed Dennis Sammut argues that Moscow continues to wield both stick and carrot in its relations with Baku.
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EU reviews strategy on Central Asia
EU reviews strategy on Central Asia

EU reviews strategy on Central Asia

The Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union, representing the 28 member states, has reviewed the EU's strategy towards Central Asia. The EU financial commitment for bilateral and regional cooperation with Central Asia for 2014-20 is 1.068 billion euros.
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Well done Armenia! Well done Azerbaijan!
Well done Armenia! Well done Azerbaijan!

Well done Armenia! Well done Azerbaijan!

The presence of an Armenian team at the 1st European games in Azerbaijan is noteworthy and commendable and could only happen with the support of the two governments at the highest political level.
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Baku 2015 - a tale of two cities.
Baku 2015 - a tale of two cities.

Baku 2015 - a tale of two cities.

The 1st European Games in Baku have brought out the stark contradictions in modern day Azerbaijan. In that sense they have become a defining moment for the country.Beyond the fun and games the government of Azerbaijan has some difficult decisions to make.