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.

Raisi at swearing-in

Raisi ready to support ‘any diplomatic plan’ that lifts sanctions on Iran

Meanwhile, Israeli prime minister is ready to "send a message" to Iran in response to drone attack on Israeli-managed ship that killed two.

European Union

Israel’s Lapid pumps European hands in Brussels

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid's enthusiastic connecting in Brussels clearly indicates he intends to reboot Israel’s ties with the European Union.

Turkey's Oruc Reis seismic research vessel

Erdogan: Turkey will continue oil exploration in disputed eastern Mediterranean

Turkey's president may be upping the ante against Greece, Cyprus and the European Union.

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

UAE orders Italy to withdraw forces from base in arms sale row

The Emirates is kicking Italy's forces out of Al Minhad airbase

United Arab Emirates

A woman attends a ceremony to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust at the Ghetto Heroes Monument in Warsaw, Poland, on Jan. 27, 2021.

Lapid calls out Poland for bill limiting Holocaust compensation

Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid objects to Polish legislation designed to limit restitution rights for Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

Angela Merkel (2ndR), talks to Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis

EU leaders back funding but warn Erdogan against 'instrumentalizing' Syrian migrants

EU leaders propose further funding to Turkey for Syrian refugees, but, at Greece’s insistence, issue a warning that the bloc “condemns any attempt by third countries to instrumentalize migrants for political purposes.”

European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic gestures during the European Parliament plenary session to prepare the European Council meeting of June 24-25, in Brussels, on June 23, 2021.

Advocates call for greater focus on democratic rights in Turkey ahead of European summit

As European leaders prepare to review EU-Turkey relations in a summit this week, advocates urged greater links between future cooperation and improvements in basic rights and the rule of law in Turkey.

US President Joe Biden (R) speaks with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prior to a plenary session of a NATO summit at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters in Brussels, on June 14, 2021.

Erdogan’s meeting with Biden more spin than substance

The two leaders' first meeting as heads of state led to detailed discussions, but there were no breakthroughs.

BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images

European Parliament calls for suspension of Turkey accession talks

In a critical report, the European Parliament has suggested suspending Turkey’s long-stalled EU accession negotiations unless negative domestic and foreign policy trends are reversed.

Sheikh Jarrah

European countries urge Israel to halt planned settlement expansion

Five foreign ministries call on Israel to scuttle plans to build more West Bank settlements.

Fake passports and travel documents are displayed on a table for the press on Dec. 19, 2019, at the Istanbul airport in Turkey.

The cost of Turkey’s grey passport scandal

Turkey’s service passport scandal may be more costly than imagined. On the domestic front, the case is one more sign that organized crime fuels corruption. In the international arena, Turkey is expected to encounter more embarrassment and court cases for smugglers.

A picture taken from the Greek-Cypriot side of the divided Cypriot capital Nicosia on April 24, 2021, shows metal flags of Turkey (L) and the self-declared Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC), recognized only by Ankara, above the Turkish-controlled side of the divided capital.

Turkey sees turning point in failed Cyprus summit

Turkey hopes for British support as it takes on a more hawkish posture on the Cyprus conflict, risking fresh tensions with the European Union.