EU-Mideast ties

Illustration picture taken during the Eurosatory Defense and Security fair in Paris, France ,on June 15, 2026.

Analysis

Why Gulf defense firms are betting on Europe in wake of Iran war

In less than a week, the UAE's Edge Group has unveiled a string of major defense announcements in Europe.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

A picture taken on June 5, 2017, shows a man walking past the Qatar National Bank branch in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Gulf investment to turn inward to rebuild postwar infrastructure: QNB

Charles-Emmanuel de Beauregard, Qatar National Bank’s head of corporate and institutional banking, said that the Gulf countries will need to rebuild their logistics capabilities after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides (2nd L) and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron (C) review the honor guard at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia on April 23, 2026, ahead of a meeting on the sidelines of a European summit.

Explainer

Turkey slams France-Cyprus military pact as East Med rivalries deepen

Ankara says a defense deal between France and the Republic of Cyprus risks upsetting the island’s delicate balance, as defense ties among Cyprus, Greece, Israel and France deepen.

France's President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech after receiving the Pic du Midi nomination file for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List from officials of the Occitanie region at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on June 9, 2026. (Photo by Thomas Padilla / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Macron meets Tom Barrack as France seeks larger role in Lebanon

As Israel and Lebanon move toward a ceasefire agreement, France is seeking to play a role through two initiatives: strengthening the Lebanese army and establishing a new international force.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Latest News

Analysis

Will Pashinyan’s victory in Armenia be enough to unlock peace with Turkey, Azerbaijan?

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Sept. 24, 2024.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Ireland bans hard-line Israeli ministers Ben-Gvir, Smotrich: What to know

Israeli policemen surround Israeli Minister of National Security and far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir as he arrives outside the Damascus Gate of the walled Old City of Jerusalem on May 26, 2025, during a flag march for Jerusalem Day, commemorating the Israeli army's 1967 capture of the city's eastern sector during the Arab-Israeli war.

Turkey maritime law prompts Greek rethink on Aegean marine parks

This photograph shows Kimom, the first of four modern French Defense and Intervention Frigate, part of Greece's major military modernization program, sailing upon its arrival in the Saronic Gulf, near Athens on Jan. 15, 2026.

With Hungary’s ICC U-turn, Israel loses a key European ally

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, (R) shakes hands with Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, during a news conference on April 3, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) greets Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (L) upon his arrival for a meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin on Nov. 20, 2019.

Will Germany freeze the arms deal with Egypt?

The mutual escalation between Egypt and Germany regarding the human rights situation in Egypt and the threat to freeze the military deal agreed upon by German Chancellor Angela Merkel before her departure to Egypt raised several questions about the future of the relationship between the two countries as a new government takes over the country.

Michael Dimenstein/GPO

Israel maintains eligibility for major EU science funding program

The Israeli government has signed on to the European Union’s 2021-2027 Horizon program, which offers funding and cooperation on research and development in various domains.

A journalist stands in front of a poster featuring jailed businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala during a press conference of his lawyers on Oct. 31, 2018.

Council of Europe initiates action against Turkey over Kavala detention

The 47-member council has agreed to invoke a rarely used mechanism against Turkey over its failure to release philanthropist Osman Kavala.

NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

Israel halts meetings as Belgium labels West Bank settlement products

The Belgian decision to label West Bank settlement products was made as Deputy Foreign Minister Idan Roll is visiting the country and ahead of a scheduled meeting with Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes.

WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Iraq to repatriate citizens stranded at Belarus border

The Iraqi announcement came as the European Union said it would step up sanctions on the Belarusian government and some airlines.

Migrants at the Belarus-Poland border make fires to keep warm on Nov. 11, 2021.

Thousands of Iraqi, Syrian refugees shiver at Belarus-Poland border

Iraqi Yazidis, Syrian Kurds and others are trapped in miserable conditions on the border, caught in a dispute between Belarus and the European Union.

Police check approaching vehicles at a checkpoint along a road leading toward the border with Belarus on Nov. 10, 2021, near Kuznica, Poland.

Turkish Airlines denies fueling Belarus-Poland migration crisis

After EU officials threatened to blacklist airlines facilitating travel for asylum-seekers amassing at the Poland-Belarus border, Turkish Airlines denied links to the bloc’s latest migration crisis.

United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (L) and Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides.

UAE foreign minister visits Cyprus

The UAE has grown closer to Cyprus on energy and defense issues.

AL-MONITOR Staff

By AL-MONITOR Staff

Varelhyi

After critical EU report, Turkey’s bid to join bloc remains at a 'standstill'

Citing serious democratic backsliding, the European Commission’s latest report on Turkey found few areas of progress in the nation’s long-stalled accession process as Brussels seeks avenues to improve relations.

A journalist stands in front of a poster featuring jailed businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala during a press conference of his lawyers on Oct. 31, 2018.

Ankara summons 10 ambassadors over call to free Turkish philanthropist

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassadors of the United States, Germany and France, among others, after they called for the release of Osman Kavala, a Turkish philanthropist jailed over four years without conviction.

AFP via Getty Images

Ankara calls on EU to help Afghanistan’s neighbors

Turkey's president told German President Steinmeier that the EU member states should provide swift assistance to Afghanistan’s neighbors to cope with irregular migration.

French President Emmanuel Macron (C-R) tours the Our Lady of the Hour Church in Iraq's second city of Mosul, in the northern Nineveh province, on Aug. 29, 2021.

Macron visits Erbil and Mosul, vows to stay the course against IS

The French president visited the northern Iraqi city where an Islamic State ‘caliphate’ was declared in 2014, pledging to continue supporting Iraq in its fight against terrorism.