Euro zone’s trade boomed in May with both exports and imports of goods to the rest of the world growing markedly.The European Union, the world’s main trader, also saw its trade increase with all its main partners, with a surge of exchanges with Russia despite economic sanctions on Moscow. Eurostat said on Friday the 19-country currency area in May exported goods worth 189.6 billion euros (167.08 billion pounds) to the rest of the world, an increase by 12.9 percent on the year. Imports also grew yearly by 16.4 percent for a total volume of 168.1 billion euros. Source: Euronews
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country will consider returning the two Greek soldiers who have been detained in Turkey if Greece extradites the eight Turkish servicemen who sought protection in the country after the foiled coup attempt in July 2016, Source Ekathimerini
Greece will this summer lease two state-of-the-art French warships, the defense ministry said Friday, as Athens seeks to bolster its defenses in the Aegean Sea amid growing tensions with Turkey, which calls on the former to avoid escalating tensions by stopping the violations in disputed islets. Source Daily Sabah
Speaker of the State Duma (the lower house of Russia’s parliament) Vyacheslav Volodin is pressing for the introduction of a ban on carrying out US sanctions on Russian soil and did not rule out criminal liability for its breach. Source Tass
