Western allies warned Syria on Saturday that they could launch further attacks if chemical weapons are used again, even as Syria’s powerful backer Russia denounced the missile strikes but gave no si
Leo Varadkar says Ireland’s delay in ratifying EU-Canada trade deal sends out ‘wrong message’ to world
Michelle Devane
Updated: 14:04, 26 May 2021
IRELAND s delay in ratifying the EU-Canada trade deal sends out the wrong message to the world, the Tanaiste has warned.
Leo Varadkar said Ireland has an even bigger responsibility as a champion of free trade since Brexit and that ratification of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta) drifting indefinitely would negatively impact investment and employment in the country.
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European Council President Donald Tusk, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker pose after the joint press conference and the signing of the CETA trade deal in 2016Credit: AFP - Getty
This article is part of our special report A busy EU-Kazakhstan agenda.
Even though unresolved border disputes stand in the way of further economic integration of Central Asia, this vast region is ready to deepen ties, according to Askar Nursha.
Askar Nursha is a Kazakh analyst with Eurasian Strategies specialised in security and the post-Soviet space.
“As far back as the 90s, attempts were made to create a full-fledged integration grouping in Central Asia… What was the main mistake of that old era? It was an attempt at a top-down integration”, Nursha said.
According to the analyst, even though there was a political will at the time, back then it lacked a strong social, cultural and, most importantly, economic foundation in the context of a wider trend of the Soviet disintegration.
This article is part of our special report A busy EU-Kazakhstan agenda.
Ahead of the EU-Kazakhstan Cooperation Council on 10 May, EURACTIV spoke to an EU official to gather information about the EU’s expectations for the cooperation with Kazakhstan and with Central Asia in the years to come.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mukhtar Tileuberdi is expected to come to Brussels on Monday to physically co-chair the Cooperation Council meeting with EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell.
The visit appears to mark the end of a slow period due to the COVID-19 pandemic, although virtual meetings had been held in various formats, including the EU-Kazakhstan business platform.
The EU on Friday (30 April) said it “regretted” a serious escalation of tensions at the border between the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan, resulting in numerous casualties.
The clashes, which are not occurring for the first time, are apparently due to a lack of clear delimitation of borders and claims by both sides to scarce water resources.
According to
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which has services for both Central Asian states, Kyrgyzstan raised to 13 the number of people killed in clashes along a disputed segment of its border with Tajikistan before a cease-fire was announced by both sides.
BREAKING: Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan militaries are having a war on disputed border. pic.twitter.com/QHqphamwWp