Turkey's foreign minister says EU defense of Netherlands fuels xenophobia

The ongoing diplomatic spat between Turkey and some European Union member states further soured on Tuesday when the Turkish foreign minister said an EU statement calling for calm merely fueled xenophobia and anti-Turkish sentiments.

Acropole et discours sur la démocratie: Obama à Athènes

Le président américain sortant Barack Obama s'est rendu mercredi sur l'Acropole à Athènes avant de livrer, en forme de testament politique, sa vision de la démocratie à l'heure de la montée du populisme à travers le monde.

Refugees bargain : Turkey PM Tells EU Won’t Soften anti-Terror Law

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Thursday insisted his country would not relax its contested anti-terror laws, a key condition [?] laid down by the European Union for giving Turks visa-free access to the bloc.

Universal Values: Mosul will not be surrounded before Ramadan, U.S. official says. Ramadan will begin June 7.

U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren on Wednesday said it would not be possible for Iraqi Security Forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga to surround Mosul before Ramadan, clarifying a statement made by Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter.

Human Tragedy in GREECE- FYROM borders: Greek governor urges state of emergency

A regional governor has called on the Greek government to declare a state of emergency for the area surrounding the Idomeni border crossing where thousands of refugees are stranded due to border restrictions along the route towards Western Europe.

Pentagon reaffirms mission to disable ISIS/ISIL

The US military on Wednesday vowed to degrade and destroy the Islamic State (IS)'s capabilities to threaten the country and its allies.

During a CNN program at the US Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the Pentagon "will do everything possible that we can do to destroy their capacity to inflict harm on our people and Western values and our interests."

"We're doing that, as the president said -- not just militarily, because that is but one component," Hagel said. "The president (Barack Obama) has been very clear on that point."

Greeks Fighting Alongside Donetsk People’s Republic Militia - (Reports)

Volunteers from Greece are among the representatives of various nationalities in the ranks of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) indepedence forces, the Athens Courier newspaper reported.

According to the newspaper, there is a large community of Greeks in the east of Ukraine, who have suffered as much as other residents of the region and many of them fled for Russia’s Rostov and Kuban regions.

“Pontic Greeks, who live in Greece, should be concerned with the fate of the Greeks living in Mariupol, which is trapped under the shelling [and other firing] of the Kiev-Lviv punishers,” the paper reported.

Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia sign EU Association Agreements (Common prosperity on "common values")

The document will come into effect after it is ratified by all EU member countries....
 
Association Agreement with the European Union envisages bringing the legislatures of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia in line with the EU norms and creating a free trade zone...

The ceremony of signing Association Agreements with Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia has begun at an EU summit in the Belgian capital on Friday.
The ceremony will take more than an hour. Each document must be signed by the heads of state and government of 28 EU member countries, as well as European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

Russian Human Rights Activists Should Not Conform to Western Colleagues (Russian Ombudsman)

Russian human rights activists should boost partnership with their Western colleagues, hold constructive conversations with them, but not pander or conform to them, Russia’s Human Rights Ombudsman Ella Pamfilova believes.

“We should preserve our partnership with oversees colleagues, but our work should be based on the interests and needs of our citizens; we should not be working for export. 

This is what I’m keying our human rights activists into,” Pamfilova said Wednesday at the State Duma session, answering a question on foreign NGOs in Russia and cooperation with Western human rights activists.

Joint statement following the meeting between the European Commission and the Government of Georgia

European Commission, MEMO, Brussels, 21 May 2014:

1. Members of the European Commission and the Government of Georgia, headed respectively by President Barroso and Prime Minister Garibashvili, met today in Brussels. They discussed the domestic and security situation in Georgia and in the wider region, the state of play of the EU-Georgia cooperation and the future progressive development of their relations.

2. The unprecedented meeting reflects Georgia's unique relationship with the EU and demonstrates the special nature of this relationship. The European Commission reaffirmed the EU's firm commitment to political association and economic integration with Georgia, opening up a new chapter in their relations.

Deputy Prime Minister and FM Venizelos’ Europe Day message (9 May)

Hellenic MFA, Friday, 09 May 2014

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"This year’s Europe Day anniversary, commemorating the day on which Robert Schuman issued his celebrated Declaration, is of particular symbolic importance to Greece, which currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union; a Presidency that has already shown a number of tangible results in many vital sectors.

Survey: 70% of young people see EU membership as an asset in a globalised world

EU membership represents an advantage in a globalised world, according to 70% of young people in a survey commissioned by the EP in view of the European Youth Event 2014. The survey was conducted among Europeans aged 16-30 from all member states. It will serve as a source of facts and figures for the 5,000 young people meeting in Strasbourg on 9-11 May as it addresses the event’s five main themes: youth unemployment, digital revolution, future of the EU, sustainability and European values.

Christians in Turkey mark Easter with masses...

Christians celebrated Easter with church masses in several cities across Turkey on April 20.

The Greek Orthodox community gathered for a mass at the Fener Orthodox Greek Patriarchate in Istanbul’s Balat neighborhood, performed by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in the Saint George Church. The mass was attended by locals as well as visitors from Greece and other parts of Europe.

Easter masses were also performed in cities with small Christian populations, such as in the southern provinces of Hatay and Mersin.

U.N. report lambasts Syria chemical attacks

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U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday called for the sanctioning of those responsible for Syrian chemical weapons attacks documented in a newly-released report.
The U.N. report, released on Thursday, concluded that the banned weapons have been used at least five times during the two and a half-year civil war, before Damascus agreed to dismantle its arsenal.