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The former Soviet nation, which Britains Foreign Office advises against travel to conflict-ravaged areas, are set to defy Vladimir Putins wishes to sign the deal with Brussels.

The Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement was finalised in time for president Serzh Sargsyans visit to Brussels earlier this week.

European Council president Donald Tusk after Mondays talks said it will broaden the scope of our relations.

In an interview with Euronews, president Sargsyan said: Because of the will of both sides, this agreement isnt so much different from the previous one.

EURONEWSGETTY

I think we can be useful for the European Union with the exports

president Serzh Sargsyan

They are no much different in political part, we have to make sure there are no contradictions with our commitments to the Eurasian Economic Agreement, which we are a member of.

Armenia has close ties with Russia, with Moscow supplying energy to the nation as well as maintaining a constant military presence there. President Putins troops have conducted several military exercises there amid heightened tension with the West.

However, president Sargsyan has stressed Armenias closer integration with the EU will bring Europe closer to Russias Eurasian Economic Union.

he said: At the very beginning of the negotiations, our understanding was that we can have both the association agreement with the EU and close integration with the Eurasian Economic Union.

In a show of defiance to Moscow, president Sargsyan added: Russians never told us we could never sign such an agreement, they told us, You can, but youll have to pay for energy at world market price.

The Armenian leader has used the potential deal, which could be signed as early as May, as a springboard to bring Nato and Russia together.

Ive met with the Nato secretary general. I invited him to Armenia for us to celebrate our work of the past 25 years, he added.

We dont see any contradiction between this partnership and our alliance with Russia within the framework of the CSTO.

On a lighter note, president Sargsyan was happy to crack a joke by suggesting Manchester United star Henrikh Mkhitaryan has already been a good export to Europe from Armenia.

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Countries that are in the European Union

We have many famous people like Henrikh Mkhitaryan or chess player Levon Aronian, we have Olympic champions, he said.

I think we can be useful for the European Union with the exports of our wonderful agricultural products, IT is also very rapidly developing in Armenia, however, first of all, we can be a reliable and predictable neighbour for the EU.

The Foreign Office advises against travel to areas affected by the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, which have causes fierce clashes between the two nations.

On the night of February 24, the Armenian army attempted to infiltrate through Azerbaijani positions along the line of contact and seize favourable positions on the frontline.

However, the attack failed after Azerbaijani forces pushed back in a heavy battle. The neighbouring countrys defence ministry has claimed Armenias armed forces have violated ceasefire terms 265 times on March 3.

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EU expansion? War-ridden Armenia CONCLUDES European Union partnership deal - Express.co.uk

The European Union has received formal notification of 21st Century Foxs intention to takeover European pay-TV operator Sky in a 11.7 billion ($14.3 billion) deal. The move triggers a regulatory process that could result in the deal being blocked.

Karen Bradley, the U.K.s Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said Friday that she is likely to refer the deal to the media regulator on two public interest grounds: media plurality and broadcasting standards.

Fox and Sky can now make further written representations, and Bradley has 10 working days to decide whether to issue a European Intervention Notice. This would trigger action by media regulator Ofcom to look at the issues and report back to Bradley, who would have the final say.

The proposed deal was first announced on Dec. 9 when Sky revealed it had received an approach from Fox to acquire the remaining 61% share of Sky it does not already own.

Bradley will inform the U.K. Parliament on progress of the take-over and her role in relation to it on Monday.

A Fox spokeswoman said: As we have previously indicated, we anticipate regulators will undertake a thorough review of the transaction, and we look forward to engaging with them as appropriate. We are confident that the transaction will be approved based on a compelling fact set.

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Fox Formally Notifies European Union of Sky Takeover - Variety

European Union HQ in Brussels. | File Photo

WARSAW: A Polish member of the European Parliament has launched another sexist tirade, calling it a "20th-century stereotype that women have the same intellectual potential as men," and that the stereotype "must be destroyed because it is not true."

Janusz Korwin-Mikke's insults on Friday in Warsaw came two days after he told the European Parliament that "women must earn less than men because they are weaker, they are smaller, they are less intelligent."

The president of the Parliament opened an investigation Thursday into the comments, for which Korwin-Mikke could face sanctions such as a reprimand, a fine or a temporary suspension.

His latest blast came after he was challenged by female lawmakers during a visit to the Polish parliament in Warsaw. Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, from the Modern party, accused him of offending women and said she would not allow him to do it again.

"There are more women than men in Poland, we're better educated, and I will not let you offend Polish women, European women and women all over the world. It's a disgrace," she told him.

Korwin-Mikke has a history of getting attention for outrageous comments, including comparing the European Union to the Third Reich.

In 2015, he raised his arm in a Nazi salute to make a political point in the European Parliament, the EU's elected legislative arm, forcing the centrist government in Warsaw at the time to apologize and express shame for his behavior.

Korwin-Mikke heads a small party which won just under 5 percent of the vote in Poland's last parliamentary election in 2015, failing to clear the 5 percent threshold to get any seats.

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Polish European Union lawmaker says women intellectually inferior to men - The New Indian Express

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But in the meantime the bills from Brussels keep dropping on the mat. Pricey security arrangements for MEPs are just one item, a unit of 46 bodyguards, with 12 of them assigned to protect the European Parliaments president Antonio Tajani.

It is being called a private army and this is clearly no exaggeration.

Both the guards and their drivers will also have to make a monthly round-trip to Strasbourg which will cost a further million or so euros. The profligacy is never ending.

But this extravagant outlay is simply part of a 1.7billion spending binge as the EU tries to squeeze as much as possible out of British taxpayers while it still can.

Our contribution is expected to be around 230million.

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Another expense is what we will put towards a pro-EU publicity campaign (a strong citizen-centric message) in advance of the 2019 European elections.

Britons of course will not be taking part in these elections as we will have left the EU by then.

On one hand this vast expenditure is cause for fury.

But it is also a useful indication of how much British taxpayers money is sucked into the bottomless pit that is the EU.

While any further expenditure is deeply regrettable it is a salutary reminder of the wisdom of more than 17 million British people when last June they voted to leave.

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Mrs May had a tough message for Nicola Sturgeon in her address yesterday to the Scottish Conservatives in Glasgow.

She accused the First Minister of treating politics as if it were a game and the SNP administration of tunnel-vision nationalism.

She stated forcefully that there was no economic case for breaking up the United Kingdom.

She also pointed out the failings of the Scottish government in education and health.

It was stirring stuff and brought to mind that the union of our four nations England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is precious, unique in the world and not something which we should abandon lightly.

The independence referendum showed most Scots are aware of this. Nicola Sturgeon is indeed playing a dangerous game.

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IF the Queen moves her handbag from hand to hand or places it on a table then it is a secret signal to her people that she wants to talk to someone else or is preparing to make her exit.

Mrs Thatcher was accused of handbagging but this is far more subtle.

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Express view: EU Army is reminder of why we need to leave European Union - Express.co.uk

Forbes

An Investor's Guide To The Collapse Of The European Union Forbes While Trump's tweets grab the headlines, Europe's perils are becoming harder to ignore. Greece's fiscal follies have surfaced once again, but that's not the EU's biggest threat at the moment. That award goes to Italy's banks. Currently, around 18% of ...

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An Investor's Guide To The Collapse Of The European Union - Forbes