eu exsoviet states push ties
Last Updated : GMT 05:17:37
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Last Updated : GMT 05:17:37
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

In Face Of 'Hostile' Russia

EU, ex-Soviet states push ties

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice EU, ex-Soviet states push ties

The EU pledged to deepen ties
Brussels - Emirates Voice

The EU pledged to deepen ties with six former Soviet states Friday, as part of efforts to counter Russian influence, but warned them they had no chance of joining the bloc any time soon.

EU leaders agreed a package of 20 "deliverables" with Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus to help them tackle corruption, improve the rule of law and modernise their economies.
Brussels insists its so-called Eastern Partnership with the six states is "not aimed at any country" and a joint declaration issued after the summit scrupulously avoided any mention of Russia.

But concerns are running high in Europe over the Kremlin's use of cyber tactics and misinformation to cause political destabilisation around the continent and draw former Soviet states into its embrace.

As she arrived for the summit British Prime Minister Theresa May warned that Europe needed to be on guard against "the actions of hostile states like Russia which... attempt to tear our collective strength apart".

EU President Donald Tusk fired a broadside at the Kremlin, condemning "Russia's aggression" in Ukraine after five soldiers were killed there and demanding vigilance agains hybrid threats in Europe.

He warned "we have to be very, very cautious, vigilant and also honest -- if you want to protect ourselves, if you want to help our partners from Eastern Partnership, we have to first of all be aware of threats inside the EU."

The likes of Moldova and Ukraine have urged the European Union to send a welcoming signal to their people to counter the siren call of Moscow.

Moscow regards the countries as part of its sphere of influence and has opposed them getting closer to the EU.

- '18 locked doors' -

Moldova and Ukraine argue that without a clear signal that at least in principle they could one day join the EU, their populations could turn their back on Europe and go the way of Belarus -- which lies firmly in Russia's orbit.

But there is no appetite in the EU for eastward expansion, particularly after Dutch voters rejected the first attempt at an association accord with Ukraine in an April 2016 referendum.

"This is not an enlargement or accession summit," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said as he arrived.

A European diplomat gave an even more blunt assessment.

"Maybe they see this as the waiting room for the waiting room (for membership) but for us it's clear that before the waiting room there are 18 locked doors," the diplomat said.

Lithuania's outspoken President Dalia Grybauskaite warned Ukraine had "a long way to go" before it could be ready to join, while Luxembourg PM Xavier Bettel gave a flat "no" to the EU taking on new members soon.

The final summit declaration simply acknowledges the "European aspirations and European choice" of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.

The EU hopes that focusing on concrete measures that will improve people's lives in the partner countries -- such as small business loans and reducing mobile phone roaming charges and energy costs -- will improve its popularity and see off the lure from Moscow.

- Don't mention the war -

The war rumbling on in Ukraine, which has killed 10,000 people since 2014, was conspicuously absent from the official summit agenda.

Unlike the declaration after the last Eastern Partnership summit in 2015, this time there was no mention of the conflict between government forces and Russian-backed separatists.

As the leaders met in Brussels, news came of five Ukrainian soldiers killed in fighting in the country's wartorn east and Kiev accused Moscow of ramping up its military presence in the region.

Tusk condemned the deaths as "just the latest proof of the tragic consequence of Russia's aggression in Ukraine", while Merkel met Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on the sidelines of the summit to discuss the conflict.

The statement also made no mention of the bitter row between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorny Karabakh, which almost flared into a full-scale war last year.

Instead it simply called for "renewed efforts to promote the peaceful settlement of conflicts in the region" -- a sharp contrast to the strong language in 2015, which criticised Russia's annexation of Crimea outright.

Source:AFP

GMT 11:42 2017 Tuesday ,12 December

EU's Mogherini condemns all attacks

GMT 10:06 2017 Sunday ,26 November

May hails 'very positive' Brexit talks

GMT 11:32 2017 Tuesday ,24 October

Senior EU officials deny Brexit dinner

GMT 12:17 2017 Tuesday ,17 October

May and Juncker agree to 'accelerate'

GMT 10:33 2017 Saturday ,14 October

Landmark EU-Cuba deal to take effect
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

eu exsoviet states push ties eu exsoviet states push ties

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

eu exsoviet states push ties eu exsoviet states push ties

 



GMT 10:31 2014 Tuesday ,23 December

Mirages of failure: Lebanon cannot wait

GMT 16:17 2018 Thursday ,30 August

Five Saudi women pilots granted GACA licences

GMT 05:38 2017 Tuesday ,05 September

Serious need for progress in the peace process

GMT 00:18 2017 Wednesday ,22 February

Mugabe marks 93rd birthday with faltering TV interview

GMT 12:48 2017 Tuesday ,09 May

King, Egyptian president hold talks

GMT 18:03 2017 Friday ,17 November

HH Sheikha Moza Witnesses Opening of 2017 WISE Summit

GMT 07:18 2017 Monday ,19 June

ARC Secretary General Najla Al Shamsi in Riyadh

GMT 08:18 2013 Thursday ,31 October

\'Early medication for HIV is cost-effective\'

GMT 19:23 2017 Monday ,23 January

80 Houthi Militants Killed in Airstrikes

GMT 22:44 2017 Friday ,21 July

HM King ratifies, issues 4 laws

GMT 13:34 2016 Saturday ,29 October

Biden ‘tops Clinton list for secretary of state’

GMT 20:00 2017 Saturday ,15 July

Bahrain condemns terrorist attack in Giza

GMT 09:20 2017 Wednesday ,05 July

Mohamed bin Zayed receives phone call

GMT 14:18 2012 Sunday ,13 May

Why some men hide in bathrooms

GMT 12:26 2012 Thursday ,28 June

Pakistan releases Indian spy

GMT 20:33 2013 Friday ,09 August

New menswear brand Pin Collar Shirts launches

GMT 13:43 2013 Wednesday ,06 November

Urban Retreat announces launch of debut skincare line

GMT 15:59 2017 Wednesday ,13 September

Nahyan bin Zayed, Abdullah bin Hamad offer condolences

GMT 09:47 2017 Wednesday ,29 November

UAE has what it takes to become the future capital

GMT 18:14 2017 Friday ,03 March

The Moroccan artist Hakim prepares new song
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
 
 Emirates Voice Facebook,emirates voice facebook  Emirates Voice Twitter,emirates voice twitter Emirates Voice Rss,emirates voice rss  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

emiratesvoieen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen
emiratesvoice emiratesvoice emiratesvoice
emiratesvoice
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice