Belgium

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The United States, Germany, France and other G7 countries called on Friday for an independent and transparent investigation into alleged human rights abuses during the conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region.

Ethiopia’s federal army ousted the former regional ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), from the capital Mekelle in November.

BRUSSELS, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Five European Union (EU) member states will share nearly three million additional "solidarity vaccine" doses following an agreement with the majority of other members, the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the EU announced on Thursday.

After days of negotiations, EU ambassadors agreed to change a system that usually distributes vaccines between the bloc's 27 countries based on population size. The tweak was aimed at helping the member states that need more vaccines in their fight against the coronavirus.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The presidents of the European Council and the European Commission will meet Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey on April 6, an EU spokesman said on Monday, in the latest sign of improving ties.

The EU did not give further details of the trip by Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen. But the visit is part of a relaunch of relations approved by EU leaders last week after Turkey moved to calm a dispute over hydrocarbons in the eastern Mediterranean.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that cooperation between allies was more important than at any time in recent history and that relations with NATO and the European Union would be crucial to overcoming challenges.

Speaking on the last day of his three-day visit to Brussels, Blinken continued what many European officials said was a charm offensive to win back the support of allies sidelined during four abrasive years under U.S. President Joe Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders meet on Thursday to discuss a coordinated path out of the COVID-19 pandemic as infections surge again in many of their countries, seeking agreement on how to ramp up supplies of vaccines after a feeble start to inoculation.

Ahead of the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron spelt out the frustration over vaccine rollouts that are far behind those of Britain and the United States, acknowledging that European leaders had been too timid.

24 Mar 2021; MEMO: Turkey is a "strong and valued ally," a top US diplomat said yesterday, asserting that it is in the interest of NATO to have Ankara in the bloc, Anadolu news agency reported.

"It's no secret that we have differences with Turkey, including over the S-400s, and including certain actions that it has taken, including in the Eastern Mediterranean," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Brussels.

22 Mar 2021; MEMO: The European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell has defended the nuclear deal signed between world powers and Iran in 2015, saying without the deal, Iran would have developed its nuclear arsenal at a faster pace than it has now.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday the Nord Stream 2 pipeline being built from Russia to Germany ran counter to the European Union’s own interests and could undermine Ukraine.

Germany is pushing for the pipeline’s completion, despite sustained U.S. opposition over more than a decade. Speaking on his first visit to NATO, Blinken said he was due to meet his German counterpart, Heiko Maas, to discuss the issue.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union ministers agreed on Tuesday to extend to the end of July the bloc’s catch limits for fish stocks shared with Britain, to ensure fishing can continue uninterrupted while Brussels and London seek a full-year deal.

In their post-Brexit trade deal, the EU and Britain agreed to jointly set limits each year for fishing their shared stocks after Britain completed its exit from the 27-country bloc on Dec. 31.

They had hoped to negotiate this month a full-year agreement on fishing opportunities for 2021.

BRUSSELS, March 22. /TASS/: Foreign Ministers of the 27 European Union members have approved new sanctions against 11 natural persons, including from Russia and China, who the union believes to be complicit in human rights violations, a source in one of the delegations to the European Council told TASS Monday.

"The blacklist has been approved. It includes 11 people, including citizens of Russia, China and Libya," the source noted.