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.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani waves as India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) gestures during a photo opportunity ahead of their meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, February 17, 2018. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi - RC12E8F257F0

Iran sticks to 'Look to the East' doctrine amid frustration with Europe

As Europeans continue to let it down, Iran is increasingly focused on its "Look to the East" doctrine, grabbing every chance to boost trade with China, India and Japan.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini address a joint news conference atfer a Turkey-EU Association Council in Brussels, Belgium, March 15, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir - RC1FD5E9ABC0

EU slams Turkey on human rights in annual report

In a progress report on would-be EU member Turkey, the European Union slammed the country's human rights record as an endless stream of damning accounts emerges.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend the opening session of the Paris Peace Forum as part of the commemoration ceremony for Armistice Day, 100 years after the end of the First World War, in Paris, France, November 11, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/Pool - RC1CEA9A8270

Can Russia, France work together to settle Idlib?

Moscow, Paris and Berlin have recently intensified talks over Syria's Idlib, but so far there's been more disagreement and defeated expectations than consent and progress.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attends a news conference in Vienna, Austria, July 4, 2018. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger - RC1BB998E3E0

If Rouhani’s Europe outreach fails, nuclear deal could collapse

The Rouhani administration has pinned its hopes on Europe to save the nuclear deal, and the stakes couldn't be higher.

Eurovision welcomed to Israel with anti-occupation billboard

The anti-occupation group Breaking the Silence prepared its own Eurovision billboard, showing tourists the other face of Israel, that of West Bank occupation.

Afghans wait in line at the Soleimankhani centre for refugees in Tehran, Iran, October 24, 2016. Picture taken on October 24, 2016. REUTERS/Gabriela Baczynska TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - S1AEUJNHAXAA

Amid US pressure, Iran warns Europe of another ‘wave’ of refugees

Iran has warned Europe that if US sanctions continue to take a toll on its economy, it will no longer be able to host Afghan refugees.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan during their meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, 8 April 2019. Maxim Shipenkov/Pool via REUTERS - RC1D77CA39C0

Russia, Turkey look to strengthen relationship beyond Syria

Contrary to expectations, in Moscow Syria was a marginal story while Putin and Erdogan focused on further boosting bilateral ties.

Zarif: Iran never pinned hopes on Europe

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the Islamic Republic has not and will not pin its hopes on Europe to save the JCPOA and will focus instead on working with countries in the region.

People walk past by AK Party billboards with pictures of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and mayoral candidate Binali Yildirim in Istanbul, Turkey, April 1, 2019. The billboards read: " Thank you Istanbul ". REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1FFDD2DBA0

Will local election defeat force Erdogan to improve ties with West?

Turkey needs better ties with the United States and Europe to heal the ailing Turkish economy, but experts are not optimistic that Erdogan will do this.

Empty and disused Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL Group) containers are seen at Malta Freeport in the Port of Marsaxlokk outside Valletta February 10, 2012. The IRISL ships and containers are key parts in an international cat-and-mouse game: Iran's attempt to evade the trade sanctions tightening around it. Washington and European capitals want to stop or slow Iran's nuclear programme. They believe that IRISL, which moves nearly a third of Iran's exports and imports and is central to the coun

Road map for Iran-EU trade and investment relations

Europe is making efforts to set up a special purpose vehicle to uphold legitimate trade with Iran, but there is a need for a more comprehensive action plan for such trade and political relations.

People queue to buy vegetables at a tent set up by the Ankara metropolitan municipality in the Cankaya district of the Turkish capital, on February 13, 2019. - Confronted with persistently high inflation more than a month before local elections, Turkish authorities this week set up stands to sell vegetables at unbeatable prices in a bid to force markets to lower their prices. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey's economy sinks into recession

Financial media say the Turkish economy is in recession, and Turkey refuses to renew the press cards of three German journalists.

German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel walks through a plane as he is flanked by a group of people at Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul, Turkey, February 16, 2018. REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir - UP1EE2G1ER906

Turkey becoming minefield for foreign journalists

Three foreign reporters in Turkey have seen their accreditations terminated, while the renewal applications of 50 others remain unanswered since December, fueling concern that Ankara is seeking to drive the foreign media out.