The European Union is seeking to forge closer ties Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton visited Georgia July 15 to discuss an association agreement that will see the EU contributing to the country’s stability, prosperity and democratic development, Radio Free Europe says. Ashton made similar trips to Azerbaijan on July 16 and Armenia on July 19. The EU is also looking at forging similar ties with Moldova and the Ukraine.
Meanwhile, relations between the EU and the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama seem to have cooled. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told The Age that the Obama administration is “not living up to its potential.” The comments come after a series of disagreements on how to deal with critical policy issues including climate change and the economic crisis. A senior U.S. official defended the country’s stance and said that “expectations were probably so high that they could not have been met when you looked at the European response to the election.”
