European Council President Charles Michel urged the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan on Tuesday (16 November) to call a “full ceasefire” after new border clashes erupted between the old foes.

Michel said he had spoken to President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia.

Michel did not apportion blame for the “challenging situation in the region” but demanded an “urgent de-escalation and full ceasefire.”

Source: Charles Michel demands ‘full ceasefire’ after Armenia, Azerbaijan clash – EURACTIV.com

Germany may at first have been naive in some areas of cooperation with China, but should not sever all connections in reaction to growing tensions, Chancellor Angela Merkel has told Reuters.

Merkel’s strategy of engagement has seen China become Germany’s top trading partner during her 16 years in office, and has shaped Europe’s stance on Asia’s rising superpower, even amid concerns about unfair competition and industrial espionage.

“Maybe initially we were rather too naive in our approach to some cooperation partnerships,” Merkel said in an interview. “These days we look more closely, and rightly so.”

Source: Germany may have been naive on China at first, Merkel says – EURACTIV.com

France and Germany accused Russia on Thursday (18 November) of breaking diplomatic protocol after Moscow published their confidential correspondence over Ukraine, the latest sign of deteriorating ties between Moscow and the West.

On Wednesday, the Russian foreign ministry released a number of diplomatic letters it exchanged with Germany and France to try to show that its stance on talks over eastern Ukraine has been misrepresented.

Source: France, Germany say Russia’s publication of notes breaks diplomatic rules – EURACTIV.com

China downgraded its diplomatic ties with Lithuania on Sunday (21 November), expressing strong dissatisfaction with the Baltic State after Taiwan opened a de facto embassy there, escalating a row that has sucked in Washington.

China views self-ruled and democratically governed Taiwan as its territory with no right to the trappings of a state and has stepped up pressure on countries to downgrade or sever their relations with the island, even non-official ones.

Source: China downgrades diplomatic ties with Lithuania over Taiwan – EURACTIV.com

EU foreign and defense ministers welcomed the first blueprint of what the bloc’s future military strategy could look like, marking only the very start of the debate. Some member states, however, already signaled amendments are to come in the next steps of the process.

The EU’s Strategic Compass, meant to bolster the bloc’s military capabilities in light of the new threats facing the EU, is to “set out a common strategic vision for EU security and defense for the next 5-10 years”.

On late Monday (15 November), EU foreign and defense ministers had jointly received their first run-down of the document, drawn up by the EU’s diplomatic service (EEAS) and national security agencies.

Source: EU defence ministers welcome bloc’s military blueprint but hesitations remain – EURACTIV.com