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EU plus

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).

Editor's choice
Monday Commentary
NATO Summit in The Hague II: everyone survived, now all eyes on Türkiye

NATO Summit in The Hague II: everyone survived, now all eyes on Türkiye

The Nato Summit held in The Hague on 24-25 June was a failure, wrapped in success. It was a success because it avoided public display of divisions, mainly by avoiding issues: it was the shortest summit anyone can remember; it also had a very short final statement that basically had two points, the first a re-commitment to article 5 of the North Atlantic Charter and the principle that an attack on one will be considered an attack on all. The fact that Nato leaders in the Hague had felt the need to re-emphasise this should be a cause of worry not celebration, but in the end, it is good that it was said. The second outcome, the one that received most attention, was the commitment of European countries to spend more on their defence: 5 per cent of GDP, of which 3.5 per cent on hard defence, and 1.5 per cent on related ancillary areas such as infrastructure. You may, if you want, believe that this was a response to US President Donald Trump's insistence. Or, if you are more prudent, understand that countries that matter – Germany, France, Poland and the Scandinavian countries had decided on this course of action quite separately, and as a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which was a wake-up call. Finland and Sweden’s decision to abandon their neutrality, and join NATO was taken long before Trump returned to the White House. The EU’s decision to spend massively on defence was always to ensure that other European countries are part of this process, willy-nilly.

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Editor's choice
Opinion
Opinion: The visit of US Vice President Pence to Georgia is a game-changer

Opinion: The visit of US Vice President Pence to Georgia is a game-changer

"Pence's visit to Georgia coincided (or more likely was timed to coincide) with the largest military exercises NATO has ever held in Georgia. This, some may claim, was just theatrics. In part this is true, but it is the sort of theatrics that the present Russian leadership understands", writes Dennis Sammut in this op-ed
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Interconnected regions
Interconnected regions

Interconnected regions

Caucasus Concise Editorial: There is huge potential in the swiftly developing relations between the South Caucasus and the Gulf countries, despite risks and obstacles
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News
Azerbaijan insists on substantive discussions at next Presidential summit on Karabakh

Azerbaijan insists on substantive discussions at next Presidential summit on Karabakh

Foreign Minister Elmar Mamadyarov told RIA Novosti news agency in an interview, "calls such as 'this conflict has no military solution, the parties must show political will and respect the ceasefire regime', must necessarily be accompanied by demands on Armenia tio withdraw its troops from occupied Azerbaijani territories."
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"Cynics should hold their peace. Young civil society has much to give"
"Cynics should hold their peace. Young civil society has much to give"

"Cynics should hold their peace. Young civil society has much to give"

Opinion: "At a work-shop with young people from 14 countries in Borjomi last weekend I was once more reminded of the great resource of hope, ideas, energy and good-will that lies largely untapped, but that is much needed if we are going to seriously engage in tackling global and regional challenges ahead", writes Dennis Sammut in this op-ed.