Med & South
Nasser Kamel: Mediterranean region is facing extreme challenges
The Union for the Mediterranean, founded 25 years ago, brings together 42 countries, including the entire EU, to cooperate on economic, social and climate issues. In an interview with EURACTIV Germany, General Secretary Nasser Kamel explains how the Union is taking action against the COVID crisis.
EU urges restraint after killing of Iranian nuclear scientist
The spokesperson of EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell urged all sides on Saturday (28 November) to show restraint after the killing of an Iranian nuclear scientist and avoid escalating tensions that could derail any talks on Iran's nuclear programme.
Covert Israeli-Saudi meeting sends Biden a strong message on Iran
A historic meeting between Israel’s prime minister and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince has sent a strong signal to allies and enemies alike that the two countries remain deeply committed to containing their common foe Iran.
In European first, Iranians face trial over suspected bomb plot
An Iranian diplomat and three other Iranians go on trial in Antwerp for planning to bomb a 2018 meeting of an exiled opposition group, the first time an EU country has put an Iranian official on trial for terrorism.
Nagorno-Karabakh: Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal is strategic disaster for Iran
Azerbaijan now is in control over the entirety of its border with Iran along the Aras river,and while this may be a cause for celebration in Baku, it is viewed with alarm in Tehran, writes Dnyanesh Kamat.
Germany says Turkey stopped it checking ship for arms-running to Libya
**Updated with Turkey’s comments Turkey prevented German forces belonging to an EU military mission carrying out a full search of a Turkish cargo ship that they suspected of taking weapons to Libya, both countries confirmed on Monday (23 November). Soldiers...
Israel strikes widely in Syria, sending signal of aggressive post-Trump posture
Israel launched air raids against what it called a wide range of Syrian and Iranian targets in Syria, sending a signal that it will pursue its policy of striking across the border despite US President Donald Trump’s election defeat.
Palestinians say restoring cooperation with Israel
The Palestinian Authority of president Mahmud Abbas will restore coordination with Israel after severing it in May, a PA minister said Tuesday evening (17 November).
Borrell urges return to talks following renewed Western Sahara tensions
The Polisario Front said Sunday (15 November) it was mobilising "thousands of volunteers" to join its fighters, on the third day of a crisis in the disputed Western Sahara that pits the Sahrawis against Morocco.
Turkey extends east Med survey, Greece calls it an ‘illegal move’
Turkey has extended the seismic survey work of its Oruc Reis ship in a disputed area of the eastern Mediterranean until November 4 – a move that Greece condemned on Sunday (25 October) as "illegal".
Gas fields and tensions in the eastern Mediterranean
The discovery in recent years of huge natural gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean has whetted the appetite of nearby countries but exacerbated geopolitical tensions between Turkey and its neighbours.
Mediterranean Union boss: We are doomed to work together
Countries are “doomed to work together and find common solutions” as partners, particularly in the face of the growing climate emergency in the region, Nasser Kamel, secretary-general of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), told EURACTIV in an interview. Kamel...
As mass protests return in Middle East and North Africa, Europe must rethink its approach
A decade on from the Arab Spring, it is clear that the EU’s strategy of working with existing regimes in its Southern Neighbourhood has delivered neither stability and security nor any progress towards democratization and government accountability. It is time to start listening to the word on the street, writes Dylan O’Driscoll.
The EU in a changing Middle East: A lone bystander or positive player?
While the European Union is struggling to stay relevant with its self-proclaimed ‘geopolitical Commission’, the United States in the Middle East is at the forefront of geopolitical shifts with its visionary leadership, writes Charlie Weimers. Charlie Weimers is a Swedish member...
Turkey intensifies its stranglehold on Cyprus
The EU cannot afford to turn a blind eye as Turkey tightens its grip on Cyprus, writes Robert Ellis.
Borrell throws Turkey hot potato back into EU leaders’ hands
The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell described yesterday (12 October) as “regrettable” Turkey’s decision to send back its research vessel Oruç Reis to Greece’s continental shelf, saying EU leaders will again discuss the issue at a summit this week.
Greece short of friends in Europe as Erdogan steps up pressure
The decision to postpone the EU council meeting solved – for the time being – one thorny EU question, writes Denis MacShane. What to do about Turkey’s new Sultan Erdogan and his non-stop aggression against EU member states, and core EU values?
The EU’s watershed moment
As the aggression and empire building of Erdogan's Turkey becomes clearer, the EU faces a watershed moment, argues Robert Ellis.
Amnesty urges EU to rethink Libya support over migrant abuse
Amnesty International on Thursday (24 September) urged the EU to reconsider cooperation with Libya over "horrific abuses" of refugees and migrants in the North African country.
EU must openly discuss Turkey sanctions, says Austria’s EU minister
At the next European summit, Austria wants to speak openly about sanctions against Ankara, including the possibility to break off accession talks with Turkey, the country's EU Minister Karoline Edtstadler told EURACTIV Germany.OpinionStakeholder Opinion
Another war on the horizon in the Armenia – Azerbaijan conflict?
The deadlock in the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiation process coupled with the concentration of foreign fighters and transfer of arms in Armenia is a distressing signal for an imminent escalation or a new war, writes Vasif Huseynov.
EU sanctions three firms for breaking Libya arms embargo, Turkey reacts
The European Union on Monday (21 September) imposed sanctions on three companies -- one Turkish, one Kazakh and one Jordanian -- for breaching the UN arms embargo on Libya, drawing an angry reaction from Turkey.
US to slap sanctions on over two dozen targets tied to Iran arms
The United States will sanction more than two dozen people and entities involved in Iran’s nuclear, missile and conventional arms programs, putting teeth behind UN sanctions on Tehran that Washington argues have resumed despite the opposition of allies and adversaries.
Erdogan in search of EU ‘allies’ to block sanctions
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has held a series of contacts with EU leaders in recent days, aiming to find allies who would block potential sanctions against Turkey at the 24-25 September EU summit over its illegal drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean.