Germany

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Jan. 18 called for a "solution-oriented" dialogue between Turkey and Greece to resolve disputes between the two countries and de-escalate tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Russian dissident Alexei Navalny's detention upon arrival at a Moscow airport is an attempt to silence him and other critical voices in Russia, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday evening.

Police detained top Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny on Sunday when he flew back to Russia months after barely surviving a poisoning attack, prompting a new wave of Western condemnation.

Police detained top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Jan. 17 when he flew back to Russia months after barely surviving a poisoning attack, prompting a new wave of Western condemnation.

European powers on Jan. 16 voiced deep concern over Iran's plans to produce uranium metal, warning that Tehran has "no credible civilian use" for the element.

"The production of uranium metal has potentially grave military implications," said the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany in a joint statement.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas will pay a one-day visit on Jan. 18 to hold talks on Turkey-EU relations days before Ankara and Brussels are set to engage in an intense dialogue to re-energize ties and discuss the renewal of a 2016 migrant deal.

With three candidates vying on Friday and Saturday to take over the leadership of the Christian Democratic Party (CDU) and succeed Angela Merkel as German chancellor, Greece is weighing who could best serve its interest - Armin Laschet, premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, Norbert Rottgen, chairman of the Bundestag's foreign affairs committee, and Friedrich Merz, a corporate lawyer and former MP.

As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday left open the possibility of meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, his Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu insisted that the agenda of the upcoming exploratory contacts between Athens and Ankara must include "all disagreements" and not just maritime areas of responsibility as Greece wants.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right party has elected Armin Laschet, the pragmatic governor of Germany's most populous state, as its new leader- sending a signal of continuity months before an election in which voters will decide who becomes the new chancellor.

US pharmaceutical company Pfizer has confirmed it will temporarily reduce deliveries to Europe of its Covid-19 vaccine while it upgrades production capacity to 2 billion vaccine doses per year.