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Erdogan tours the Gulf and says Turkey will buy Eurofighter jets from Qatar and Oman
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Erdogan tours the Gulf and says Turkey will buy Eurofighter jets from Qatar and Oman

28 October 2025
Turkey is negotiating with Qatar and Oman to acquire used Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets as part of its effort to bolster its air force capabilities. Following a three-day tour of Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman last week in which he oversaw the signing of several agreements, including in the defense sector, President  Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey aims to purchase dozens of Eurofighters and other advanced jets as a stopgap measure to strengthen its fleet until its domestically developed fifth-generation KAAN fighter jet becomes operational.
commonspace.eu
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EU imposes more sanctions on Russia but fails to reach agreement on using Russian assets
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EU imposes more sanctions on Russia but fails to reach agreement on using Russian assets

23 October 2025
The European Union on Thursday 23 October applied more economic sanctions on Russia, adding to U.S. President Donald Trump’s new punitive measures the previous day against the Russian oil industry. However, EU leaders meeting in Brussels have so far failed to reach a deal on using Russian frozen assets. European capitals were hoping to convince Belgium, which houses the international deposit organisation Euroclear and is worried about legal repercussions, that a reparation loan from the funds is workable. Most of the €200 billion in Russian central bank assets frozen by the EU are held in Euroclear. However, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has so far been skeptical, reiterating during the European Council meeting on Thursday that certain conditions must first be met before a €140 billion loan can be given to Ukraine using Russia’s frozen assets. Russian officials and state media dismissed the new Western measures, saying they are largely ineffective.
commonspace.eu

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Editor's choice
Editorial
Commentary: The West needs more than a charm offensive if it wants to maintain its relevance in the GCC space
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Commentary: The West needs more than a charm offensive if it wants to maintain its relevance in the GCC space

7 September 2021
Throughout the oil boom in the last quarter of the 20th century and since, the GCC countries were seen in the United States, Britain, France and elsewhere in Europe through the prism of being major oil exporters and arms importers. Western countries and the Arab Gulf monarchies need each other. But for their friendship to last it needs to be rebuilt on a different basis than has been the case so far.
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Opinion
Opinion: An alternative view of Georgia’s European identity and past history
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Opinion: An alternative view of Georgia’s European identity and past history

3 September 2021
Georgia intends to submit an application for membership of the European Union in 2024. Whilst most Georgians assert the country’s European identity, alternative views are emerging. In this op-ed, GIPA doctoral student Archil Sikharulidze challenges the concept of Georgian “Europeaness”, and those who promote it.
Archil Sikharulidze
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News
European Defence Ministers meet to discuss Afghanistan and how to respond to future crisis
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European Defence Ministers meet to discuss Afghanistan and how to respond to future crisis

2 September 2021
It seems that the crisis in Afghanistan has focused minds in Brussels. On Thursday (2 September) EU defence ministers are meeting to discuss the crisis and how to learn lessons from it. Hovering at the top of the agenda is the EU's own capacity - or more precisely lack of capacity -  to act in these and similar situations. But the meeting is "informal" and no decisions are expected until later in the year.
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Commentary
Commentary: State-building cannot be imposed from outside; the EU and others must learn lessons from Afghanistan
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Commentary: State-building cannot be imposed from outside; the EU and others must learn lessons from Afghanistan

23 August 2021
A state cannot be built from outside, with a foreign army standing on top of it to supervise the process, argues Dennis Sammut in this commentary. As the EU expands its global ambitions, it must be aware of the risks of "mission creep" and make sure the mistakes in Afghanistan are not repeated.
Dennis Sammut
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Opinion
Opinion: Azerbaijan expects the EU to be more balanced in its policies toward the South Caucasus
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Opinion: Azerbaijan expects the EU to be more balanced in its policies toward the South Caucasus

5 August 2021
Whilst the EU is seen as a valuable partner for Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus, Baku has several concerns over perceived inconsistencies. In this op-ed for commonspace.eu, Vasif Huseynov says Azerbaijan welcomes Brussels playing a more active role in the region but argues that it must maintain balance in its relations with each of the countries.
Vasif Huseynov
Editor's choice
Commentary
Commentary: The EU reinforces its position in the South Caucasus before the upcoming EaP Summit
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Commentary: The EU reinforces its position in the South Caucasus before the upcoming EaP Summit

29 July 2021
In preparation for its Eastern Partnership Summit (EaP) in December, and after drastic regional shifts, the EU is trying hard to improve its position in the South Caucasus. In this commentary for commonspace.eu, Mahammad Mammadov unpacks the EU's strategy in Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, looking at what can be gleaned from its recent high-profile visits to the region and billions in newly declared financial assistance.
Mahammad Mammadov
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