Tag: NATO

Achieving the territorial integrity with the Russia-occupied territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia will take time, but in the meantime Georgia seeks “fields of cooperation” with Russia and will not boycott the Sochi Olympic Games, Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze told EurActiv in an exclusive interview.

A grand coalition of Bersani-Berlusconi can provide Italy the stability Italy needs, Franco Frattini, a former European commissioner, tells EurActiv in an exclusive interview.

Cyprus' economic adjustment programme and banking sector reforms should be seen as a catalyst that will reinforce macroeconomic and financial stability in the country. Over the longer term, the exploitation of natural gas discoveries should substantially boost growth prospects and help lower debt, writes Stavros Papagianneas.

Billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, leader of the Georgian Dream coalition that triumphed in this week's parliamentary election, has urged President Mikheil Saakashvili to resign.

Finland is considering increasing its military cooperation in the north, something it had been reluctant to do in the past because it did not want to damage its economic relationship with Moscow, writes Stratfor.

Turkey has indicated its intention to veto the EU's participation in the upcoming NATO summit in an apparent sign of growing disenchantment with the Union before the rotating EU presidency is taken up by Cyprus, a country that Turkey refuses to recognise.

A recent meeting in Berlin between Russia, Poland and Germany revealed Poland's delicate position in the debate between Russia and NATO over missile defence, according to Stratfor.

European Union leaders yesterday (20 October) hailed reports of Muammar Gaddafi's death, saying it marked "the end of an era of despotism and repression". Up to €85 million is available for reconstruction and stabilisation needs, the European Commission indicated.

The European Union yesterday (26 July) deplored "unilateral action" by Pristina to assert control over borders in the northern, Serb-populated part of Kosovo, during which one officer was killed. BETA, EurActiv's partner in Serbia, contributed to this article.

Of all EU countries' embassies in Libya, only Hungary has a diplomatic presence in Tripoli and provides information to the EU. The European Commission told EurActiv that the situation on the ground was "very difficult" and that the EU was "paying tribute" to the Hungarian Presidency for the work they are doing.

EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels yesterday (21 March) admitted they were divided over how to enforce the no-fly zone over Libya, but agreed to extend sanctions on the Gaddafi regime and carry on offering humanitarian assistance.

Ahead of a special EU summit on Libya and the South Mediterranean next week, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso described the unfolding events as "a rendez-vous with history". Hours later, UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg spoke of "the biggest geopolitical event of the last decade".

The Serbian government will soon have to clarify to its citizens its policy of neutrality towards NATO, argues Jelena Radoman, a research fellow at the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy.

The European Union and the United States promised on 20 November to use their considerable economic weight to try to secure a successful conclusion to the Doha round of global trade negotiations in 2011.

Days before the NATO summit in Lisbon where he will meet US President Barack Obama, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has postponed his annual State of the Union address from 22 to 30 November to account for a possible shift in US-Russian relations, writes global intelligence company Stratfor.

US President Barack Obama could turn to foreign policy as a way to claw back popularity after his mid-term election setback, which has left him weakened in domestic politics, Reuters writes in an analysis piece.

Fulfilling the full potential of a NATO-Russia relationship is vital for the security of all, writes Anders Fogh Rasmussen, secretary-general of NATO.

On 18 October, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sat down to discuss a new European conception of global security and – with the current order dysfunctional and inadequate – it was high time to include Russia in the discussions, write Ivan Krastev and Mark Leonard in a report for the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).

Germany is not primarily responsible for killing off the vision of a political Europe, writes Michel Rocard, a former prime minister of France and a former leader of the Socialist Party.

The European Commission will today (30 September) propose new rules to increase the EU's protection against cyber-attacks, which have grown in number, scale and impact in recent years.

No public festivities in the US and no statements from the EU – so far. The announcement by the White House of the end of the Iraq war, which took the lives of more than 4,700 coalition troops - including many Europeans - came amid a muted atmosphere.

Afghan forces should be leading security operations throughout their country by 2014, an international conference said on Tuesday (20 July), and they should be aiming to take over from foreign troops in some areas this year.

US President Barack Obama's security strategy is a clear departure from that of its predecessor and a decisive step towards solving the challenges of the 21st century and preparing us for the world of tomorrow, writes Javier Solana, the European Union's former High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy.