Russia has recently added, by a presidential decree, most of Crimea and Sevastopol to the list of border territories of the Russian Federation in which non-Russian citizens are prevented from owning land. The EU does not recognise this decree, which is yet another attempt to forcibly integrate the illegally-annexed peninsula into Russia, the EEAS said in a statement, issued on 1 April.

In view of the so-called 'presidential and parliamentary elections' in Nagorno-Karabakh on 31 March 2020, the European Union reiterates that it does not recognise the constitutional and legal framework within which they are being held, the EEAS Spokesperson Peter Stano said on Tuesday. This event cannot prejudice the determination of the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh or the outcome of the ongoing negotiation process, he also pointed out.

Amid the raging Covid-19 pandemic, Turkish authorities on Friday evacuated hundreds of migrants from Turkey’s land border with Greece. The migrants were among an estimated 10,000 that had gathered at the border hoping to cross into Greece and Europe after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government had said last month it would not prevent them from leaving.

The EU-UK talks on the post-Brexit relations would most probably be put deep into the freezer mere weeks after being launched due to the coronavirus pandemic, news wires reported. On one hand EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier tested positive for the virus and is under quarantine, while the UK's David Frost is in self-isolation with symptoms, and on the other British PM Boris Johnson is under growing pressure to extend the country’s timetable to finish the talks and leave EU.

The European Union would start membership negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia, according to a draft decision by the Member States seen by Reuters on Monday and due to be finalised this week. If confirmed the agreement would end two years of delays and signal new momentum for all Western Balkan countries seeking to join the EU.

Turkey’s land borders with Greece and Bulgaria have been closed to entry and exit of passengers as a measure against the coronavirus outbreak, state broadcaster TRT Haber said on Wednesday.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday discussed mainly the migrant crisis as well as the situation in Syria's last rebel enclave of Idlib, with the leaders of France, Germany and Britain. The four-party video conference that involved French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson comes after Turkey decided last month to re-open its border for refugees seeking to reach Europe.

The European Union has slammed the new anti-virus travel ban announced by US President Donald Trump, lashing out at the “unilateral” decision. In a joint statement, EU Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen insisted that the coronavirus pandemic is a “global crisis, not limited to any continent and it requires cooperation rather than unilateral action.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he expects to host the leaders of Germany and France next week for talks on how to reboot a deal that stemmed the flow of migrants to the European Union, after a meeting in Brussels ended in deadlock. After the breakdown in discussions, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused European Union nations of not sticking by earlier promises to provide funds to help look after millions of migrants on Turkish soil and allow visa-free travel to the EU for Turks.

The EU Foreign Affairs Council at a meeting in Zagreb on 6 March adopted a statement on the crisis in Idlib and the situation at the EU external borders, strongly rejecting Turkey's use of migratory pressure for political purposes, Croatia’s EU Presidency reported.