Georgia

Juncker recommends visa liberalisation for Ukraine, Georgia, Kosovo
Est. 3minEuropean Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Friday the EU should offer visa-free short-stay travel to the bloc for Ukraine, Georgia and Kosovo - all three locked in bitter disputes with Russia.

Sources: NATO to offer membership to Montenegro
Est. 3minOn Wednesday (2 December) the Balkan state of Montenegro will be formally invited to join the NATO military alliance, diplomatic sources said, a move which could further strain already difficult ties with Moscow.

Hague court to investigate Russia, Georgia over 2008 war
Est. 2minThe prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said yesterday (13 October) she would investigate both sides in the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia for crimes, including the killing of peacekeepers and attacks on civilians.

Tusk tour focuses on frozen conflicts
Est. 6minCouncil President Donald Tusk's trip to the South Caucasus has largely focused on the 'frozen conflicts' in Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Merkel tells Eastern partners not to expect too much
Est. 5minGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel told the EU's eastern partners yesterday (21 May) not to expect too much of the bloc and warned Russia to mend its ways over Ukraine if it wanted to rejoin the G7.

Ukraine wants roadmap to EU accession at Riga summit
Est. 3minUkraine's foreign minister said his country wants assurances at a summit with the European Union this week that it is a suitable candidate for EU membership, and that its citizens will gain visa-free travel to the bloc next year.

Two tier Eastern Partnership on the table at Riga summit
Est. 3minThe EU plans to strengthen relations with Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, setting them apart from the other Eastern Partnership countries, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Belarus. EURACTIV France reports.

EU to postpone Ukraine free trade pact to 2016
Est. 4minThe European Union will begin implementing the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) with Ukraine in 2016, despite Russian pressure for another delay, according to a draft statement prepared for a summit with six of the bloc's eastern neighbours this month in Riga.

Commission publishes neighbourhood reports for ‘test year 2014’
Est. 6minThe European Commission published an avalanche of “progress reports” on Wednesday (25 March) covering 12 of the 16 countries in the EU’s neighbourhood for 2014, calling it a test year for the Union's relations with its neighbours.

West cries foul as Russia strengthens ties with South Ossetia
Est. 3minRussia signed a wide-ranging alliance with Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia on Wednesday (18 March), which will further cement its control over the territory, despite fierce condemnation from the West.

Riga to host ‘Eastern Partnership survival summit’
Est. 4minEdgars Rink?vi?s, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, didn’t mince his words Thursday (26 February) when he called the summit of the Eastern Partnership his country is hosting next May, in its capacity as holder of the rotating EU presidency, “a survival summit”.

Putin is ‘real danger’ to Baltics, EU officials warn
Est. 4minSenior Western officials accused Russia yesterday (19 February) of redrawing the map of Europe by force and posing a threat to the Baltic states.

Šef?ovi? gives his blessing to Southern Gas Corridor
Est. 3minVice-President for Energy Union Maroš Šef?ovi? attended the first founding meeting of the Advisory Council on the Southern Gas Corridor in Baku yesterday (11 February), a project to bring gas from Azerbaijan to Europe by 2019-2020.

Turkish PM: If Europe persists in its ‘Holy Roman attitude’, it is over
Est. 7minAs a consequence of the Eurozone crisis, racism is on the rise, in the same way that the 1929 crisis inspired anti-Semitism. But this time the scapegoats are Muslims, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu told a Brussels audience on Thursday (15 January).

Latvia claims its presidency won’t be ‘anti-Russian’
Est. 7minLatvia, which took over the rotating EU Presidency on 1 January, will try to overcome stereotypes and convince Moscow that its intentions are in no way anti-Russian, the country’s foreign minister Edgars Rink?vi?s told journalists in Riga yesterday (7 January).

Georgia cries fouls as Moscow strengthens ties with Abkhazia
Est. 3minPresident Vladimir Putin signed a "strategic partnership" agreement with Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia yesterday (24 November), angering Tbilisi, which said Moscow was looking to annex the territory.

Georgian PM reassures EU, NATO of his country’s orientation
Est. 3minGeorgia's prime minister Irakli Garibashvili told the European Union and NATO yesterday (17 November) that his country remained firmly committed to integration with both organisations after his dismissal of a pro-Western minister caused a political crisis.

Georgian opposition: Jailing political opponents leads to Putin
Est. 5minGiga Bokeria, of the Georgian opposition United National Movement (UNM), warned in the European Parliament yesterday (13 November), that intensifying political persecution in his country was favouring Russia, which already illegally occupies part of his country.

Georgian coalition rocked by defections
Est. 4minGeorgia's foreign minister quit yesterday (5 November) and one of six parties in the ruling coalition pulled out, depriving it of a parliamentary majority in a rift over the pace of integration with the West.

Georgian PM sacks pro-Western defence minister
Est. 4minGeorgian Prime Minister Irakly Garibashvili fired his defence minister yesterday (4 November) hours after he criticised the arrests of several officials in his ministry as politically-motivated and aimed at those who favour better relations with the West.

East Ukraine crisis eclipses celebration of EU pacts
Est. 5minThe leaders of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, together with their EU counterparts, signed landmark Association Agreements today (27 June). Not long after, EU leaders returned to the issue of the crisis in Eastern Ukraine, warning Russia that if de-escalation is not achieved by 30 June, new sanctions against Moscow would be adopted, possibly by another emergency summit.
![François Hollande on the phone with Vladimir Putin [French Presidency website]](https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/06/hollande_on_the_phone.jpeg)
West ups pressure on Russia as Ukraine readies to sign EU pact
Est. 7minWestern powers warned Russia yesterday (25 June) that they could impose new sanctions if Moscow did not do more to defuse the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko is due to sign his country’s EU association pact tomorrow in Brussels.

Barroso reassures Moldova, Georgia ahead of EU pact signing
Est. 5minEuropean Commission President José Manuel Barroso urged Russia yesterday (12 June) not to stand in the way of Moldova and Georgia forging closer ties with Europe, despite the conflict caused by Ukraine's lurch towards the West.

France, Germany reassure Russia on Georgia’s EU association
Est. 4minFrance and Germany assured Georgia yesterday (24 April) that a deal bringing it closer to the European Union would be sealed within weeks, moving to tighten ties with the ex-Soviet republic as tension mounts between Russia and the West over Ukraine.