The Bulgarian foreign affairs minister, Nikolay Mladenov, officially stated on 17 May that he was satisfied with the decision of Catherine Ashton to appoint Yuri Sterk as EU ambassador to Uzbekistan.
Russian President Vladimir Putin decided not to attend the Group of Eight (G8) summit hosted by US President Barack Obama to be held at the Camp David US presidential retreat in Maryland on 18-19 May.
Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, issued a statement on 13 May, condemning the attack against the Bulgarian Ambassador to Yemen, Boris Borisov.
During a first historical visit to Europe, a parliamentary delegation from Myanmar guided by Thura U Shwe Mann, speaker of the Pyithu Hluttaw/House of Representatives, was in Brussels to meet with the leaders of the EU and with the Belgian Institutions.