Page 25 - Common Foreign News Today

The COVID-19 pandemic is a wake-up call for Europe, which needs a stronger, more united and more assertive foreign and security policy, MEPs highlighted on Wednesday.

Paris-Geneva, January 15, 2021 – The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (FIDH-OMCT) is deeply concerned about a last set of amendments, recently passed by Turkey’s Grand National Assembly, which have the potential to further restrict freedom of association and to curb civil society activities in Turkey. We call on the authorities in Turkey to immediately reverse these recent legislative changes, which have been approved despite harsh criticism [1] by civil society acto...

In the late-1970s, Daniel H. Levine concluded that “ Venezuelans have achieved one of the few stable competitive political orders in Latin America”. But democracy cannot be taken for granted: on December 6, 2020, and after a major political decay, Venezuelan authoritarian ruler, Nicolás Maduro, held a parliamentary election that has been considered fraudulent by several countries. Venezuelan political decay has evolved at an astonishing pace. When Hugo Chavez -a former military, and an aut...

We have successfully kept the focus on security issues of Europe. At two formal meetings, we discussed events in Belarus and at the informal meeting of 4 September, we gave the floor to the people of Belarus, focusing mostly on the human rights situation in Belarus, and inviting Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to speak. The meeting was a success and was viewed nearly 50 000 times on social media. In March, we convened an informal meeting on Crimea, and in August, we raised Russia’s actions against G...

Mit dem Jahreswechsel endet die deutsche EU-Ratspräsidentschaft. Trotz erschwerter Bedingungen konnten viele Einigungen erreicht werden.

Council reaches a political agreement on the European Peace Facility - Hoofdinhoud The Council today reached a political agreement on the European Peace Facility (EPF), the new global off-budget instrument that will finance external action having military or defence implications, under the Common Foreign and Security Policy. Its aim is to prevent conflict, preserve peace and strengthen international security and stability. German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Heiko Maas: Thanks to the n...

Izvor: Beta The Decision of the Government of Serbia from September 9 to stop all military exercises and all military activities with all partners in the next six months seems to have lasted for a total of 85 days.     “It seems” should be emphasized because the adopted Conclusion revoking the Decision to suspend the participation of the Serbian Armed Forces in exercises with foreign partners from December 3 this year is still not published nor is the public informed in any way. The earl...

Bahrain: a valuable partner for Europe The Gulf state has undergone major economic and social changes in recent years and can be a strategic partner for Europe in the region, writes Tomáš Zdechovský. Source: Office of MEP Tomáš Zdechovský 14 Dec 2020 The Gulf region has become an increasingly volatile region in the last 10-15 years. Donald Trump’s refusal of the Iran Nuclear Deal which resulted in its factual breakdown, China’s increased engagement in the Middle East through its Belt ...