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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).

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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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News
International Community tells Tskhinvali to immediately open crossing points as tensions continue in South Ossetia conflict zone

International Community tells Tskhinvali to immediately open crossing points as tensions continue in South Ossetia conflict zone

Tskhinvali has closed the crossing points since early September, preventing Georgians and others living in territory under its control to cross over to Tbilisi administered areas. A women was reported to have died last month because she could not be taken for medical treatment in Tbilisi.
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Iran ups the stakes in nuclear stand-off

Iran ups the stakes in nuclear stand-off

Iran's president announced on Tuesday (5 November) that Tehran will begin injecting uranium gas into 1,044 centrifuges, the latest step away from its nuclear deal with world powers since President Donald Trump withdrew from the accord over a year ago.
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The role of parliamentary diplomacy in international relations

The role of parliamentary diplomacy in international relations

In the second in the series, The Hague Conversations on Conflict, Simon Lunn former Secretary General of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly spoke on the role of parliamentary diplomacy in international relations, and particularly in the prevention, mediation and resolution of conflict