OSCE AND COUNCIL OF EUROPE LEADERS DISCUSSED JOINT EFFORTS TO FIGHT TERRORISM AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING, PROMOTE MINORITY RIGHTS AND SUPPORT DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION PROCESSES IN THE SOUTHERN MEDITERRANEAN
The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, and OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier met the Council of Europe’s Chairperson of the Committee of Ministers, Ukraine’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, and Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland in New York . READ MORE
'No shortcut' to peace in Middle East, says Obama
Welcomed with great applause, US President Barack Obama addressed the UN General Assembly in New York. His speech focused on the pursuit of peace in an imperfect world and the Palestinian bid for statehood. READ MORE
Gül to EU: Give Turkey a chance to finish negotiation process
President Gül and his German counterpart, Wulff, met on Sunday evening to converse over tea with Turkish residents of Kreuzberg, a district known as Berlin's Turkish Town. Europeans should first of all let Turkey finish its European Union membership process successfully, instead of holding debates over whether Turkey should become a full member or not, Turkey's President Abdullah Gül said on Monday in Berlin, while ruling out formulas such as a “privileged partnership” as an alternative to full membership. READ MORE
Americans turn their backs on Europe
A new survey shows that Americans view Asian countries, not European ones, as the most important partners for the US. READ MORE
Kyrgyzstan and China Move Closer to Joint Railroad Construction
Bishkek and Beijing may soon sign a long-anticipated agreement on the construction of the “China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan” railroad. Kyrgyz Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev will travel to China to discuss the project’s details. The Kyrgyz government considers the railroad to be an important component in the country’s economic strategy during the next few years. READ MORE
Is Ukraine alone against Russia in the renewed pipeline wars?
Most places ignore the inauguration of new energy pipelines, but most places are not Russia, where the control of the flow of hydrocarbons means raw power. Yesterday, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin inaugurated Nord Stream, a huge gas pipeline linking his country to Germany. It ought to have been an ordinary event, but this 760-mile, $12.5 billion line is steeped in politics -- from Putin's explicitly stated perspective, Nord Stream at last allows Russia to bypass pesky former Soviet Bloc countries such as Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine that resist Moscow's will. READ MORE
