All posts tagged: Armenia

The Parliament’s misspent €1.5 million – POLITICO

The Parliament’s misspent €1.5 million – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

European political parties are misspending their cash, while the public is left in the dark about what’s going on. The European Parliament’s department of finance found political parties and foundations had misspent €1.5 million during the 2024 EU election campaign. Zoya and Ian discuss which parties are the biggest offenders. They also explain how the European Parliament — with the help of complex bureaucratic processes — helps these parties avoid broader scrutiny. Also on the pod, EU finance ministers are meeting today to discuss getting financial support for Ukraine from countries outside the bloc. While we’re on the topic of geopolitics, Zoya and Ian have some breaking news about a major personnel change at the EU’s foreign policy arm, the European External Action Service. Finally, a Spanish MEP was outraged when an inauthentic Galician octopus dish was served at the Parliament’s canteen. We take a look at some other institutional food fights. Do you have insider info on any big job moves happening in Brussels — or elsewhere? We’d love to hear them! Send a message to our WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29. Source link

UK seeks access to EU’s €5B tech scale-up fund – POLITICO

UK seeks access to EU’s €5B tech scale-up fund – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The EU created the European Innovation Council Fund in 2020 to take equity stakes in startups, with the Scaleup Europe Fund to follow before the summer, aiming to plug a funding gap that many European companies face. That €5 billion fund is expected to make much larger investments than the earlier one, from which investments were capped at €30 million. The Commission is still in the process of setting up the new program, with the selection of a fund manager still pending. Up until now, the U.K. has had no access to the funds, which are part of the EU’s flagship research and development program, Horizon Europe, despite Britain’s association with it since 2024. “[The U.K.] has opted out of the part of Horizon Europe which supports equity investments in startup and scale-up companies,” European Commission spokesperson Maciej Berestecki told POLITICO in mid-April. He added that the Commission was “open to the U.K. becoming fully associated” and was “ready to advance discussion on this matter.” Source link

Alarm bells for Trump as Mark Carney joins European summit

Alarm bells for Trump as Mark Carney joins European summit

Published by Sam Flores

Officials in Brussels joke about Canada joining the EU. Even some European leaders, including Alexander Stubb, the Finnish president, have started to entertain the idea. It remains a pipe dream for now – but Mark Carney will at least play the part of a European leader in Yerevan, Armenia, on Monday. The Canadian prime minister will become the first leader of a non-European state to join a summit of the European Political Community. Mark Carney landed in Yerevan, Armenia, on Sunday and met Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament – Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP The gathering of some 45 regional leaders was initially conceived by Emmanuel Macron as a response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The French president believed such a summit, of which Monday’s will be the eighth, was also needed as a means for an independent Europe to project its power. This notion was mocked until Donald Trump re-entered the White House. In the last 15 months, the US president has imposed steep trade tariffs on European countries …

Sky News halted for breaking Keir Starmer announcement | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV

Sky News halted for breaking Keir Starmer announcement | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV

Published by Sam Flores

This afternoon’s instalment of Sky News was ground to a halt for a Keir Starmer alert. The Prime Minister appeared on screen as a breaking news banner appeared while he was stepping off a plane. The breaking alert reported that he had arrived in Armenia ahead of the European Political Summit in Yerevan, the nation’s capital. As he was walking off the aircraft a day before the summit, a Sky News host said: “We will bring you the latest shots of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has just landed in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.“He is there in the country with several other leaders, including Ukraine’s President.” Starmer will also be joined by leaders from countries including Norway and Finland. He added: “The meeting is happening throughout the day and as you can see, Starmer has landed in the country that borders Iran and other countries.” Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan welcomed Starmer at Zvartnots Airport once he set foot on the ground. As the announcement was being made, Sky News viewers commented on the news …

‘They are stealing the election’: How Armenia became the next Russia-EU battlefield

‘They are stealing the election’: How Armenia became the next Russia-EU battlefield

Published by Sam Flores

The European Union breathed a sigh of relief last week when Hungary voted out Prime Minister Viktor Orban in favour of Peter Magyar.  Like Moldova’s election last year, the vote was seen as an ideological battleground between the Kremlin and Brussels.  Orban, a long-standing ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, will be replaced by Magyar, who said he wants to repair ties with the EU. “Hungary has chosen Europe,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after the results were announced. Read moreOrban ousted: What Magyar’s victory means for Hungary and the EU Now the bloc’s attention is shifting further east towards another former Soviet Union country seen to be making a similar choice: Armenia.   But this could have long-lasting consequences for the Armenian people, according to some observers.  A step towards Europe  The June 7 parliamentary elections in Armenia matter for Europe, as public opinion in the country – long aligned with Russia – is now turning toward Brussels. While campaigning officially begins 30 days before the election, candidates have already hit the trail.  …

Iran’s Azeris fear ethnic strife, sucking Turkey and Azerbaijan into the war

Iran’s Azeris fear ethnic strife, sucking Turkey and Azerbaijan into the war

Published by Sam Flores

Over the past few months, Ehsan Hosseinzadeh, like many Iranians in the diaspora, had come to believe a foreign military intervention was necessary to help his people oust an Islamic regime that was oppressing and massacring innocent civilians. But a week after Israel and the US launched a war in his home country, the 38-year-old refugee in France is worried about the conflict dragging in regional powers – to the detriment of Iran and its citizens. Hosseinzadeh has every reason to fear a conflagration erupting along ethnic, religious and civilizational fault lines that could rip open the wounds of history in an ancient land. Born in Urmia – a city in the northwestern extremity of Iran that shares borders with Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Iraq – Hosseinzadeh understands a thing or two about the explosive mix of identity and grievance. An ethnic Azeri (also called Azerbaijani and Azerbaijani-Turkish in Iran) Hosseinzadeh belongs to the largest minority community, constituting around 24% of Iran’s 93 million population. His birthplace is also home to a significant Kurdish population, …

Azerbaijan and Armenia, both neighbors of Iran, fear regional spillover of conflict

Azerbaijan and Armenia, both neighbors of Iran, fear regional spillover of conflict

Published by Sam Flores

A school in Julfa, Azerbaijan, after what the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry described as a “drone attack carried out by Iran,” on March 5, 2026. AP The war spilled over into Azerbaijan on Thursday, March 5, when two Iranian drones hit the Nakhchivan region, the Azerbaijani exclave bordering Turkey, Iran and Armenia. According to the Azerbaijani defense ministry, one drone crashed into the airport terminal, about 10 kilometers from the Iranian border, injuring four people and damaging infrastructure. The other fell near a school in the village of Shakarabad. “These acts of aggression will not go unanswered,” the ministry said in a statement. The incident threatened to reignite tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan. The Islamic Republic, which has a significant Azerbaijani minority, estimated at between 20 and 25 million people, has long viewed Azerbaijan’s close relationship with Israel with suspicion. Azerbaijan, a country with 10 million people, is a great place to watch what’s happening in nearby Iran. “With this strike, Iran was not only targeting Azerbaijanis but also Israelis. Tehran views Azerbaijan as an Israeli …

US and Azerbaijan Sign Strategic Partnership During Vance Visit

US and Azerbaijan Sign Strategic Partnership During Vance Visit

Published by Sam Flores

By Nailia Bagirova and Lucy Papachristou BAKU, Feb 10 (Reuters) – The ‌United ​States and Azerbaijan signed a strategic ‌partnership in Baku on Tuesday encompassing economic and security cooperation as Washington seeks to ​expand its influence in a region where Russia was once the main power broker. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev inked the ‍agreement with U.S. Vice President JD ​Vance, visiting Azerbaijan after travelling to its neighbour and longtime foe Armenia. Aliyev said Baku and Washington were ​entering “an entirely ⁠new phase” in cooperation on defence sales and artificial intelligence, and would continue collaboration in energy security and counter-terrorism. US SEEKS TO SUPPORT ENERGY ACCESS IN SOUTH CAUCASUS Vance said the U.S. would send Azerbaijan an undisclosed number of ships to help it protect its territorial waters. The charter was first presented at talks between ‌Aliyev and President Donald Trump in Washington in August, where Aliyev reached a peace agreement with ​Armenian Prime ‌Minister Nikol Pashinyan to end ‍decades of war. During ⁠his visit to Armenia this week, Vance signed a deal with Pashinyan that …