Leaders from the European Union and six Western Balkan nations came together for a summit on July 12 to exchange ideas on how step up cooperation and enhance the region’s chances of eventual accession into the 28-member bloc. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron were among the leaders present at the summit — the fourth such meeting since 2014. Source: RadioFreeEurope
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will discuss with Russian President Vladimir Putin his concerns about Iran’s military presence in Syria. “I will raise the problem of Iran trying to establish a military presence in Syria,” Netanyahu said on August 22. Source: RadioFreeEurope
The German government said on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump’s decision to send additional troops to Afghanistan was “the right thing to do.” Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen also welcomed the decision but said that Germany would not follow suit by further raising its troop numbers. Source: The Local
EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn has called for a change of course for the EU on Turkey’s accession to join the bloc, after president Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Turks living in Germany not to vote for the county’s two ruling parties in the upcoming September elections. Source: Euobserver
