Ici Beyrouth - European Union

Jordan to Host Syria Talks After Damascus Erupts in Celebration

This is Beirut, 14/12 09:55 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Antony Blinken European Union Gulf Israel Turkey USA

Jordan will host US, EU, Turkish and Arab diplomats on Saturday for high-level talks on Syria, a day after celebrations in Damascus and nationwide rejoicing at the ouster of president Bashar al-Assad. Syrians celebrated the day they called the "Friday of victory" with fireworks heralding the fall of the Assad dynasty. More than half a century of ...

Bulgaria and Romania to Join Schengen Zone on January 1, 2025

This is Beirut, 12/12 11:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

European Union

EU states on Thursday cleared Bulgaria and Romania to become full members of the borderless Schengen zone from the start of next year, officials said. "It is a historic moment to finally welcome Bulgaria and Romania," said Hungarian Interior Minister Sandor Pinter, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency. The two countries, both members ...

EU Targets Russia’s ‘Shadow Fleet’ with New Sanctions

This is Beirut, 11/12 18:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

European Union Ukraine Russia

EU countries agreed on Wednesday to blacklist around 50 additional oil tankers from Russia's "shadow fleet," which have been used to circumvent Western sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine, officials said. The move, which is set to be formally approved by foreign ministers on Monday, is part of the EU's 15th sanctions package since Russia's ...

European Countries Suspend Syrian Asylum Decisions After Assad’s Fall

This is Beirut, 09/12 20:39 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus European Union

Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland and several Nordic countries said Monday they would freeze all pending asylum requests from Syrians, a day after the ouster of president Bashar al-Assad. While Berlin and other governments said they were watching the fast-moving developments in the war-ravaged nation, Vienna signalled it would soon deport ...

Germany: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Will Be Judged by Its Actions

This is Beirut, 09/12 15:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

European Union Germany HTS Syria Bachar el-Assad

Germany said on Monday it would judge Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) the Syrian rebel group that spearheaded the offensive to oust president Bashar al-Assad, by the actions it takes in government. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) would "certainly play a role in the future of Syria", foreign ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer told a regular press ...

EU and S.America Countries Conclude Mercosur Trade Deal

This is Beirut, 06/12 16:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

European Union Mercosur South Americain Von der Leyen

The EU and four South American countries have concluded a huge, but controversial trade deal that is opposed by France and many European farmers, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen announced on Friday. "This is a win-win agreement," von der Leyen said in Uruguay, where she was attending a summit of the Mercosur bloc involved ...

Europe’s Vega-C Rocket Launches Satellite Into Orbit After Delays

This is Beirut, 06/12 09:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Europe European Union Ukraine

Europe's new Vega-C rocket launched Thursday from French Guiana and put a satellite into orbit in its first takeoff since a failed flight two years ago. After two days of delays, the rocket -- crucial to Europe's autonomy in reaching space -- took off without problems, carrying the Sentinel-1C satellite for the European Union's Copernicus Earth ...

Russia and Ukraine to Attend Rare Joint Summit in Malta

This is Beirut, 04/12 21:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

European Union Kyiv Ukraine Russia

Russia and Ukraine will send their foreign ministers to Malta this week for a summit of the OSCE, officials said Wednesday, in one of the few events attended by both countries since Moscow's Ukraine offensive began. The trip marks Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's first to an EU member since the start of the conflict in February 2022, and ...

Who Are Syria's Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham?

This is Beirut, 03/12 10:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

European Union United States USA Syria HTS

The Syrian rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which seized Aleppo in a shock offensive over the weekend, is an Islamist movement that has long ruled swathes of the country's northwest. The group has sought to moderate its image in recent years, including by cutting ties with its one-time sponsor Al-Qaeda, but it faces an uphill battle ...

Lithuania Expels Three Chinese Diplomats Amid Tensions Over Taiwan

This is Beirut, 29/11 17:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

European Union Lithuania China diplomacy Taiwan

Lithuania announced on Friday that it was expelling three staff members of the Chinese embassy, as relations between the Baltic nation and Beijing deteriorate over Lithuania’s support for Taiwan and the suspected involvement of a Chinese ship in the damage to undersea telecommunications cables. Earlier this month, two Baltic Sea ...

Police in Georgia Arrest Dozens in Clash With Pro-EU Protesters

This is Beirut, 29/11 17:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

European Union Georgia Protests

Police in Georgia arrested dozens of people overnight and early Friday in a violent crackdown on protests against the government's decision to delay EU membership talks. The Black Sea nation has been rocked by turmoil since the ruling party declared victory in October parliamentary elections that the pro-EU opposition decried as ...

EU: We Will Support LAF, UNIFIL and the Lebanese

This is Beirut, 29/11 14:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

European Union Israel Lebanese Army UN Security Council United Nations United States

The European Union reaffirmed its commitment to mobilizing a wide range of tools to support the Lebanese Army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), so that UN Security Council Resolution 1701 can be “effectively and fully implemented on the ground.” The EU viewed the ceasefire agreement as “a major achievement, which the ...