Region

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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EU to push for sanctions on Israel ministers and suspend bilateral support

EU to push for sanctions on Israel ministers and suspend bilateral support

The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen stated she would push to sanction "extremist" Israeli ministers and curb trade ties over Gaza, as she warned famine should not be used as a "weapon of war". Addressing the European Parliament on 10 September in the annual State of the Union, von der Leyen lamented that divisions among member states were holding back a European response but insisted the European Commission "will do all that it can on its own". "What is happening in Gaza has shaken the conscience of the world. People killed while begging for food. Mothers holding lifeless babies. These images are simply catastrophic," von der Leyen said. The German politician said the Commission would put its bilateral support to Israel on hold, stopping all payments, but without affecting work with civil society groups and Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.
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Opinion
What role for the EU in the post-Washington South Caucasus?

What role for the EU in the post-Washington South Caucasus?

The agreements reached in the US-mediated summit of the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders in Washington on August 8 are poised to fundamentally reshape the region's future. Particularly, the deal concerning the Zangezur corridor – rebranded as the “Trump Route for Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP) – holds significant geopolitical importance. If implemented, the TRIPP agreement would deal a severe blow to the regional standing of Russia and Iran. More importantly, it would pave the way for a strategic U.S. presence in this critical geography. This outcome represents a success that few would have predicted for the United States, especially for the Trump administration, given the region's notoriously complex and volatile geopolitics.

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Vatican briefs about Pope's visit to Georgia and Azerbaijan

Vatican briefs about Pope's visit to Georgia and Azerbaijan

Vatican Radio says that the spokesperson for the Vatican told journalists this will be Pope Francis 16th pastoral visit outside Italy and it'll be focused on the themes of peace and brotherhood, following on from the message of peace that he took with him to the neighbouring republic of Armenia last June.
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Morgherini pushes for peaceful settlement of Karabakh conflict in meetings with Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers

Morgherini pushes for peaceful settlement of Karabakh conflict in meetings with Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers

The European Union is not directly involved in negotiations on Karabakh, but High Representative Federica Morgherini has in recent months had several bilateral meetings with the Foreign Ministers of the two countries, during which the issue has been discussed
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OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to visit Moscow

OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to visit Moscow

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are expected to hold consultations with the Russian government on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
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Georgia’s significant progress, on the road to European and Euro-Atlantic integration, is good for the whole region
Georgia’s significant progress, on the road to European and Euro-Atlantic integration, is good for the whole region

Georgia’s significant progress, on the road to European and Euro-Atlantic integration, is good for the whole region

Two symbolic yet also significant steps during the course of the last days have taken Georgia closer to achieving its aspirations for integration in the European and Euro-Atlantic community.