Contents tagged with EU
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EU Council has not come to an agreement on visa-free regimes for Georgia, Ukraine, Kosovo and Turkey
During a meeting of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council on Friday in Luxembourg, Ministers of the EU countries were not able to reach an agreement on the liberalization of the visa regime for Georgia, Ukraine, Kosovo and Turkey, Interfax-Ukraine reported.
"We’ve talked about the liberalization of visa policies, noting the progress made by all countries, including Turkey. But we have not made a decision yet, because some EU countries still see a number of problems and are not able to agree. …
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Czech Foreign Minister: Putin uses a divide-and-conquer strategy in Europe
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Lubomír Zaorálek, stated in an interview with the Financial Times that the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, uses a divide-and-conquer strategy, supporting right-wing populists in Europe. According to him, nationalist and Euro-skeptical movements serve a vital role in Putin’s strategy to weaken Europe.
“This issue is regularly discussed. We have no doubt that Russia is exploring ways for funding this work,” Zaorálek noted. “Russia uses …
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Financial Times: EU sanctions against the Kremlin will be extended for another six months
European Union (EU) countries, who support sanctions against Russia, have postponed discussions about their demands until the EU leaders summit in December. This was reported by the Financial Times, citing sources in Brussels.
In addition, and despite signs of some bloc countries softening their attitudes, the EU intends to extend sanctions against Russia for another six months.
The newspaper reports that diplomats fear that this extension may, over the next two weeks, trigger disputes …
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European Commission President to meet with Putin in Russia
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week during an economic forum in St. Petersburg, as reported by Reuters with reference to an EU spokeswoman.
Juncker will attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Thursday and Friday of next week and will hold his first meeting with Putin since November of 2014.
The EC President has called for further cooperation with Russia and said in October that the EU’s stance towards …
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Estonian Prime Minister: Ukraine and Georgia should get visa-free regime as soon as possible
Ukraine and Georgia have fulfilled all of the requirements to liberalize their visa regime with EU countries. They should now be allowed a visa-free regime without any additional conditions, as stated by Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas at a meeting with the Prime Minister of Latvia, Māris Kučinskis.
“Georgia and Ukraine have met the established criteria and should therefore receive a visa-free regime as soon as possible. The credibility of, and trust to, the EU are at stake,” Rõivas said. …
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Mogherini: The EU doesn’t recognize the annexation of Crimea
Speaking at the meeting of the UN Security Council that took place on the 6th of June, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, broached the topic of the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol. The UN press service reported Mogherini as saying that the cessation of the Ukrainian conflict is one of the main priorities of the European Union.
“The European Union will continue to advocate for the territorial integrity of Ukraine and won’t …
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Media: The Netherlands wants to modify the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement
According to the Austrian newspaper, Die Presse, citing Dutch diplomats, the Government of the Netherlands wants to modify certain provisions of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. The Dutch Government intended to take such a step after the referendum in April in which the Dutch voted against the ratification of the Association Agreement.
"The government in The Hague prefers quiet diplomacy behind the scenes. And now, when the Netherlands is holding the EU Presidency they have an opportunity …
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Merkel: Sanctions against Russia will be lifted when Ukraine gains control over its borders
Sanctions against Russia will be lifter only after Ukraine gains full control over its borders, as stated by German Chancellor Angela Merkel during the Congress of the Christian Democratic Union, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung rerported.
“I am convinced that Russia is slowly moving towards integration into the common European economic zone from Vladivostok to Lisbon,” Merkel said.
“At the same time, despite the aspirations of the EU to accept Russia into the common European economy, we …
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Merkel's advisor: It's too early to lift sanctions on Russia
The discussion surrounding the cancellation of EU sanctions against Russia is premature, as stated by the German Chancellor's foreign policy advisor, Christoph Heusgen, Deutsche Welle reports. "If the current situation stays the same, I see no reason for sanctions not to be extended for another six months," Heusgen said.
He indicated that the removal of restrictive measures on Russia is connected to the implementation of the Minsk Agreements. At the same time, according to Heusgen, the Minsk …
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US Abrams tanks to arrive in Latvia for NATO exercises
US Abrams tanks will arrive in Riga on Saturday to participate in the Saber Strike 2016 exercises, Evropeyskaya Pravda reported with reference to Delfi.
Residents of Riga have been notified that a column of armored vehicles, including Abrams tanks, will be transported from the Port of Riga to the exercise cite in Ādaži.
The Commander of the National Armed Forces of Latvia, Raimonds Graube, stressed that the exercises are not aimed at provoking Russia, as the NATO drills are on a much smaller …