The EU was not set on levying fines, but rather was interested in establishing a dialogue, European Parliament representative Bela Kovacs announced this week. READ MORE

In early September, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev accepted the credentials of the new US ambassador Richard Morningstar. Thus, the period of instability in the work of the US embassy in Baku was finished. After the mission of Ann Dercy came to an end in July 2009, the position of the American ambassador was free for more than a year. Later the president of the US Barack Obama appointed to the position an experienced diplomat, the former co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group Mathew Brayza by-passing the Senate. However, due to an active resistance of the Armenian lobby in the Senate Brayza’s career ended sooner than it should: he managed to work only for a year, after which his functions were not prolonged. READ MORE

The General Secretary of the German Social Democrats, Andrea Nahles, was at the Democratic National Convention. She’s rooting for Obama and warns that a President Romney could drive Europe and the US apart. READ MORE