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On June 7, AGBU Europe launched an appeal calling on the European Union and European aid organizations to engage with the population of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Nagorno-Karabakh (NKR) is a landlocked mountainous territory in the South Caucasus, home to 150,000 people. It is one of the several unrecognized states that emerged from the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, and the Republic of Azerbaijan claims sovereignty over NKR. It is one of the most impoverished areas in the periphery, reads the text of the petition on Change.org.

The inhabitants of this small unrecognized state have been under continuous threat of war and isolation for more than 20 years, which has caused considerable hardship. A blockade continues to impact the daily life of the people, who also suffer from the highest mine-related casualty rate in the world, it says.

The EU does not provide direct aid to the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, in contrast to other territories under dispute, such as Northern Cyprus, Abkhazia or Transnistria, which have received substantial benefits from EU engagement and aid.

We call on all those who believe in Europe to sign onto this appeal. We stand ready to work with European institutions as well as with international NGOs to find ways to respond to the needs of the civilian population in Nagorno-Karabakh, says Nadia Gortzounian, President of AGBU Europe.

Despite the isolation and economic hardship, Nagorno-Karabakh focuses on the development of democracy. It is making considerable efforts to improve institutions and strengthen civil society.

AGBU Europe has published a video and information package aimed at explaining the case for EU engagement in NKR.

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Petition urges European Union to provide aid to the people of Nagorno-Karabakh - Public Radio of Armenia

British Prime Minister Theresa May has probably scraped back into office despite winning no overall majority in Thursdays general election. But while the election was much harder than she had anticipated, that doesnt mean the big challenge isnt still to come: negotiating Brexit.

Negotiations are set to start in 10 days and getting them off the ground on time will be the first test. European Council President Donald Tusk has already written to May to remind her that the two-year deadline for negotiating the terms of Britains departure is already approaching. The timeframe set by Article 50 of the Treaty [the formal exit mechanism] leaves us with no time to lose, he wrote.

One way to delay this would be for Britain to withdraw its notification of its desire to leave, first delivered to Brussels in March, and then resubmit it later. But such a move would likely be seen by the British public as backsliding on Brexit and May will be keen to avoid it.

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Once negotiations begin, Mays slender majority will bring new challenges.

She is likely to be governing under some form of deal with the conservative Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), currently under discussion. Most likely, Mays Conservatives will form a minority government and rely on DUP support for votes.

The two combined have just 328 seats, two seats over the number needed for an absolute majority.

That will have implications for the shape of the Brexit deal itself. The DUP supported Brexit, but it pledged in its manifesto to push for a deal that allows a totally frictionless border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. Thats the Conservatives stated aim as well, but that doesnt mean its achievable. And May might now struggle to get a deal that doesnt allow for this past parliament.

The DUP is also clear in its manifesto that it will pursue a comprehensive free trade and customs agreement with the European Union, and pledges businesses will not face additional costs. Again, this is similar to Conservative intentions, but thorny customs rules and a desire to end the free movement of people from the EU might make one or both hard to achieve.

May called the election because she felt that, with her old one-party working majority of 17, she did not have the strength to negotiate the best possible Brexit deal. Without any majority on her own, voters will have to raise the question of whether things could get even worse.

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Will the UK Leave the European Union? How the UK General Election Affect Brexit Talks - Newsweek

PRAGUE Europe's chief executive appealed to EU governments on Friday to forge a military alliance to defend the bloc and enhance its power abroad, warning that the United States was no longer prepared to do it for them.

Two days after unveiling a multi-billion euro plan to help fund European defense research, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said it was time to integrate militaries and defense industries, seizing on the strong backing from France's new president and Britain's decision to leave the bloc.

"I see the tide turning," Juncker told a conference in Prague, citing growing support in EU capitals for military cooperation, notably from French President Emmanuel Macron.

"The call I make today is not only in favor of a Europe of defense it is a call in defense of Europe," he said.

Although the European Union has more than a dozen military missions abroad, the world's biggest trading bloc has never been able to match its economic might with broad defensive power, preferring to rely on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Britain had long blocked EU defense integration, fearing a European army that would challenge national sovereignty. NATO broadly supports EU defense integration, as 22 EU states are members of the U.S.-led alliance.

Chiding the bloc for decades of failed attempts to work together on defense since the 1950s, Juncker said that even before the election of President Donald Trump, the United States considered it was paying too much for wealthy Europe's security.

With Trump, who has sharply criticized European states for not spending enough on defense and has refused to explicitly support NATO, the reality was more stark, he said.

"NATO can no longer be used as a convenient alibi to argue against greater European efforts," Juncker said. He said the United States is "no longer interested in guaranteeing Europe's security in our place."

The economically powerful EU has long been able to boast of a "soft power" with recent diplomatic successes including its role in brokering the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

But the EU's inability to help bring peace to Syria or significantly influence events abroad, from Turkey to the Middle East, meant that soft power was not enough, Juncker said.

"We have no other choice than to defend our own interests in the Middle East, in climate change, in our trade agreements."

EU leaders will discuss broad European defense plans, first put forward by France and Germany following Britain's EU referendum a year ago, at a summit on June 22-23 in Brussels.

France, Germany and Italy want ways to pay for common military missions abroad, to be able to use EU battlegroups for the first time and for industries to collaborate and develop weapons and helicopters that can be used by all EU armies.

EU states jealously protect their defense contractors, meaning the bloc has developed 178 different weapons systems, compared to 30 in the United States.

"Absurdly, there are more helicopter types then there are governments to buy them," Juncker said.

(Additional reporting by Jason Hovet in Prague and Gabriela Baczynska and Robin Emmott in Brussels)

BRASILIA Brazil's top electoral court dismissed a case on Friday that threatened to unseat President Michel Temer for alleged illegal campaign funding in the 2014 election, when he was the running mate of impeached President Dilma Rousseff.

SEOUL/WASHINGTON South Korea does not aim to change its agreement on the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system to protect against North Korea, in spite of a decision to delay its full installation, Seoul's top national security adviser said on Friday.

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Warning of US desertion, EU chief calls for European defense - Reuters

The Commission seeks to ensure that, if built, Nord Stream 2 operates in a transparent and non-discriminatory way with an appropriate degree of regulatory oversight, in line with key principles of international and EU energy law.

The Vice-President for Energy Union Maro efovi said: "Creating a well-diversified and competitive gas market is a priority of the EU's energy security and Energy Union strategy. As we have stated already several times, Nord Stream 2 does not contribute to the Energy Union's objectives. If the pipeline is nevertheless built, the least we have to do is to make sure that it will be operated in a transparent manner and in line with the main EU energy market rules."

Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Caete said: "As any other infrastructure project in the EU, Nord Stream 2 cannot and should not operate in a legal void or according to a third country's energy laws only. We are seeking to obtain a Council mandate to negotiate with Russia a specific regime which will apply key principles of EU energy law to Nord Stream 2 to preserve the functioning of the European internal energy market".

The Commission is committed to the Energy Union objectives, including energy security. The priority is to create a well-diversified and competitive gas market. The work to consequently dismantle barriers to trade and supporting critical gas infrastructure is ongoing.

The Energy Union diversification strategy develops around priorities such as the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor, the development of a liquid gas hub in the Mediterranean and through promoting access to Liquefied Natural Gas and gas storage for which the Commission adopted a strategy in February 2016.

The preference is a strong regional cooperation between the Member States and it is delivering concrete results: key gas infrastructures in the Baltic region are being implemented with financial support of the European Union, such as the Gas Interconnectors between Poland and Lithuania or the Balticconnector between Finland and Estonia. The Commission is also actively facilitating the establishment of a new northern corridor linking Norway to Poland through Denmark. Likewise the Commission is helping to abolish all barriers for the free flow of gas in Central and South East Europe and is supporting the construction of the necessary gas infrastructure in this region.

The Commission considers that the Nord Stream 2 project does not contribute to the Energy Union objectives of giving access to new supply sources, routes or suppliers and that it could allow a single supplier to further strengthen its position on the European Union gas market and lead to a further concentration of supply routes. There is existing, well-functioning gas transportation infrastructure in place to ensure Europe's energy supply. Building Nord Stream 2, would, at the same time, endanger existing transport routes, notably via Ukraine.

While any on-shore pipeline to transport the gas coming through Nord Stream 2 in Europe would have to be in full compliance with the EU energy rules under the so-called Third Internal Energy Market legislative package, the off-shore section of the pipeline is in a specific situation given that part of it, including its only entry point lies outside the EU jurisdiction. Therefore the Commission asks the Council of Ministers for a mandate to negotiate a special legal framework, which would take into account fundamental principles stemming from international and EU energy law.

These principles include:

For More Information

DG ENER website: imports and secure supplies

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Commission seeks a mandate from Member States to negotiate with Russia an agreement on Nord Stream 2 - EU News

BRUSSELS European Union leaders fear Prime Minister Theresa May's shock loss of her parliamentary majority raises the risk of failure in Brexit negotiations due to start this month that will usher Britain out of the EU in March 2019.

There was concern that a weak minority administration and a possible leadership challenge to May after her electoral gamble backfired might mean further delay to the start of talks scheduled for June 19. But the prime minister said her new government would now prepare for discussions in 10 days time.

However, Guenther Oettinger, the German member of the EU executive, was among those warning that a weak British leader may be a problem once talks start. "We need a government that can act," he told German radio. "With a weak negotiating partner, there's a danger the negotiations will turn out badly."

Oettinger's boss, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, said his Brexit negotiating team under Michel Barnier was ready: "The clock is ticking," Juncker said.

Barnier sounded conciliatory: "Brexit negotiations should start when UK is ready," he tweeted. "Timetable and EU positions are clear. Let's put our minds together on striking a deal."

Donald Tusk, the former Polish premier who will oversee the process as chair of EU national leaders' summits, also stressed there was "no time to lose" and a need for London and Brussels to cooperate to minimize disruption for people, businesses and governments across Europe when Britain walks out in 22 months.

"Our shared responsibility and urgent task now is to conduct the negotiations ... in the best possible spirit, securing the least disruptive outcome," said Tusk, who warned last month that emotions stirred up on either side of the English Channel during the British election campaign were jeopardizing agreement.

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe was quick to scotch a suggestion Britain might do a U-turn and ask to stay in the bloc - something that would need EU agreement - and a Commission spokesman resisted a barrage of questions at a press briefing on whether the Union might agree to extend the two-year deadline.

Few Europeans voiced much sympathy for May. Some compared her to her predecessor David Cameron, who sought to silence Eurosceptic fellow Conservatives by calling the referendum on EU membership which ended his career and shocked Europe.

"YET ANOTHER OWN GOAL"

"Yet another own goal, after Cameron now May, will make already complex negotiations even more complicated," tweeted Guy Verhofstadt, the liberal former Belgian premier who is the European Parliament's point man for the Brexit process.

German conservative Markus Ferber, an EU lawmaker involved in discussions on access to EU markets for Britain's financial sector, was scathing: "At the most untimely point," he said, "The British political system is in total disarray. Instead of strong and stable leadership we witness chaos and uncertainty."

May, who had campaigned against Brexit last year, delivered her terms for withdrawal on March 29 that included a clean break from the EU single market. She then called a snap election hoping for a big majority to strengthen her negotiating hand.

That was also the broadly desired outcome in Brussels, where leaders believed that a stronger May would be better able to cut compromise deals with the EU and resist pressure from hardline pro-Brexit factions in her party to walk out without a deal.

European leaders have largely given up considering the possibility that Britain might change its mind and ask to stay, something May made clear was not her intention.

Most now appear to prefer that the bloc's second-biggest economy leave smoothly and quickly. Having recovered from last year's shock, Germany, France and other powers see Brexit as a chance to tighten EU integration without the awkward British.

As news of British mayhem broke, Juncker was launching a new push for an expanded EU defense project which Britain has long opposed, fearing a clash with the U.S.-led NATO alliance.

FEAR OF COLLAPSE

A breakdown in negotiations could mean Britain ceasing to be an EU member without having in place the legal agreements that would avoid a chaotic limbo for people and businesses. That would also make it improbable that Britain could secure the rapid free trade agreement it wants with the EU after it leaves.

In a note to clients, UBS wrote that a breakdown in talks was now more likely and would make it harder to reach a trade deal: "A tighter political balance could make it easier for Eurosceptics ... to prevent the government from offering the compromises needed to secure a trade deal."

Barnier aims to start with talks on residence rights for expatriates, on how much Britain will owe the Union on departure and on EU-UK border arrangements in Northern Ireland. He hopes outline agreements on those issues by the end of this year can open the way for discussion on a future trade deal. However, May and her allies have questioned the EU's negotiating proposals.

May's reappointment and determination to soldier on without a clear majority has muted talk of a different ruling coalition taking power with a mission to seek a "softer" Brexit than May is pursuing, possibly seeking to remain in the single market.

While the other 27 states would quite possibly be willing to extend to Britain the same kind of access to EU markets they offer to Norway or Switzerland, they have made clear that would mean Britain continuing to pay into the EU budget and obey EU rules, including on free migration across the bloc, while no longer having any say in how the Union's policies are set.

"Maybe there wont be a hard Brexit," Norwegian Foreign Minister Boerge Brende said. "Maybe Britain will have to show greater flexibility in the negotiations."

But EU officials question how any British government could persuade voters to accept a Norway-style package and so would be wary of starting down the path of negotiating it for fear of ending up without a deal that both sides could ratify in 2019.

(Editing by Janet Lawrence)

LONDON British Prime Minister Theresa May faces a slew of criticism after a failed election campaign left her short of a parliamentary majority and fighting for survival as the clock ticks down to the start of Brexit talks.

WASHINGTON U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday accused Qatar of being a "high level" sponsor of terrorism, potentially hindering the U.S. Department of State's efforts to ease heightening tensions and a blockade of the Gulf nation by Arab states and others.

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EU fears Brexit delay, uncertainty after shock UK vote - Reuters