The agri-food supply chain in Italy, one of the biggest food producers in the EU, is determined to make a case for the next national Commissioner to land the EU’s agriculture portfolio, a position the sector has coveted for almost 50 years. Italy is the only remaining member state not to have named a candidate yet for the next European Commission and is unlikely to make a nomination until a new government is up and running. But the name of the new Commissioner is part of the top government jobs…
Read MoreDay: September 4, 2019
Promote the Trans-Caspian pipeline more actively in the interests of Turkmenistan itself
Iran and Russia are opposing the implementation of the Trans-Caspian project, which is supported by Azerbaijan and is in the EU’s interest, writes Shahnar Hajiev. The broader Caspian Basin – a region at the center of what has been called the “strategic energy ellipse” between Russia and the Persian Gulf – remains an important alternative source of oil and natural gas for European and Asian markets. It is estimated that the Caspian region contains 48 billion barrels of oil and 292 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas in proved…
Read MoreUS closes 5 bases, thereby withdrawing 5,000 soldiers from Afghanistan
The United States would withdraw almost 5,000 troops from Afghanistan and close five bases within 135 days under a draft peace accord agreed with the Taliban, the chief US negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, said on Monday (2 September). The deal, reached after months of negotiations with representatives from the insurgent movement, must still be approved by US President Donald Trump before it can be signed, Khalilzad said in an interview with Tolo News television. “In principle, we have got there,” he said. “The document is closed.” In exchange for the phased…
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