Activists expressed disappointment at the EU Danish presidency’s version of the proposed Energy Efficiency Directive, which is likely to become the most important piece of legislation to date on the issue. READ MORE

Ambassador Vladimir Chizhov, head of the Russian mission to the EU, talks to New Europe about EU-Russian relations and the political situation in his country after the parliamentary elections and in the wake of the upcoming presidential election. READ MORE

A new system for monitoring a criminal scourge is being put in place by the EU, strengthening the poorly enforced norms currently on the European books. Will this be enough to make a dent in Italy's endemic and widely tolerated culture of corruption? READ MORE

The Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) harbors the lofty and unrealistic goal of expelling Chinese "occupiers" from Xinjiang province and create an independent State called "East Turkistan". READ MORE

Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev today received a delegation of U.S. congressmen led by a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Republican David Drier. READ MORE

The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) calls for the United States of America to ratify the Criminal Law Convention on Corruption and to fully incorporate it into the law. GRECO stresses that the United States is one of the very few member states which are not a party to the Convention and its Additional Protocol. Although the US legislation and practice provide for a high degree of “functional” consistency with the Convention and the enforcement regime is effective in prosecuting corruption offences, US law does not appear to meet all the requirements of the Convention, for example, as regards bribery in a foreign context and private sector bribery. READ MORE

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and China, Foreign Affairs Minister of China Yang Jiechi gave an inclusive interview to Kazinform Agency. READ MORE

By casting the role of the first EU macro-region to the Baltic Sea region, the European Commission has acknowledged its potential and possibilities. However, it is also a huge responsibility to prove that such a new method of European regional cooperation is viable, says Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis. READ MORE

A major transformation of the global market for natural gas is under way. Fresh international supply routes are being drawn, new exporters are emerging and established trade patterns are being turned on their heads. READ MORE

More than 70% of Kazakhstani oil from the scope of oil exported to world markets via the so-called Caucasian corridor, shall flow through the Black Sea port of Batumi, which as known is a property of national company of our Republican “KazMunajGaz”. READ MORE

President Barack Obama’s announcement last June of an accelerated U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan reopened debates in many European countries over when their soldiers should return from that unpopular war. French President Nicolas Sarkozy followed a few days later with an announcement that French troops would be reduced “in a proportional manner and in a calendar comparable to the withdrawal of American reinforcements.” Now, the tables have turned. With last week’s announcement, it was France that reset the transition calendar, arguing that progress in the transition allowed for the withdrawal of 1,000 French troops by the end of 2012. Although many U.S., Afghan, and NATO observers were initially critical, the Obama administration announced only a few days later that the United States also planned to end its combat mission in Afghanistan by mid-2013 and shift primarily to advising Afghan forces. READ MORE

LtGen Bornemann and his delegation met with MGen Qian Lihua, the Chief of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Ministry of National Defence (FAO MND), and Gen Ma Xiaotian, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. READ MORE

Presidents of Lithuania and Poland Dalia Grybauskaitė and Bronislaw Komorowski agreed in Vilnius on Thursday to personally take care of joint energy projects. READ MORE

A referendum organised in the Serbia-populated northern part of Kosovo on whether to recognise the government of the Albanian majority received a frosty reception from the European Commission today (14 February). READ MORE

For Xi, the itinerary was carefully negotiated to convey high-level significance and minimize the chance of making news or, worse, any gaffe. READ MORE

European bureaucrats are clearly not keeping pace with the geopolitical dynamics of the modern world. While the U.S. and China are expanding their spheres of influence in the Pacific, and Russia is working to create a Eurasian bloc, the EU actually fell out of big geopolitical games, limiting the expansion of its own influence and being fully concentrated on the internal redistribution of political and economic powers. Ignoring the European aspirations and foreign policy ambitions of Turkey and Ukraine, the EU shows geopolitical improvidence, limiting its own ability to conduct more effective policy in the Middle East and former Soviet space. READ MORE

MPs in Athens approve severe budget cuts imposed by the EU after rallies against the bill erupt in street violence READ MORE

Presidential elections, which were held in Turkmenistan on Sunday, will not affect policy of pragmatism in the energy issues chosen by the government in recent years and multipolarity of sale markets, local experts in Ashgabat and international observers believe. READ MORE

Will it be the next geopolitical battleground or remain the common heritage of humankind? READ MORE

The European Union has asked New Delhi to use its influence to draw Iran back into talks over its disputed nuclear ambitions, Indian TV channels said on Friday. READ MORE

Discussions are ongoing in NATO about prolonging the air-policing mission over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The mission’s prolongation will necessitate a decision at NATO’s summit in May in Chicago. Resource constraints and political considerations seem to complicate that decision unnecessarily. READ MORE

The line of Russia in the context of Syria situation, particularly, the intention to block another resolution of the UN Security Council is defined by its interests, which go much further then Syria itself. One of them is for the “rules of game” to be observed in world policy. READ MORE

For hundreds of years, Poland suffered from an overbearing Germany that trampled on the rights of the Polish nation, occupied the country, and, at times, worked to extinguish the Polish nation-state entirely. No wonder that there is a residue of skepticism and caution in Poland when it comes to relations with its big neighbor to the west. A healthy distance and dose of hedging have long been the default position of the country’s foreign policy. Poland’s accession to the European Union has changed all that. Nearly eight years on, Poland is rephrasing its German question, and in a baffling way: how close is too close? READ MORE

The return of Abdulaziz Kamilov, a veteran of Uzbek foreign intelligence and diplomacy, to the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs, is certainly linked to the NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014. He faces the task of preparing his country for new and close contact with the Taliban. READ MORE

On 9 February in Vilnius, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis and Secretary General for the Nordic Council of Ministers Halldór Ásgrímsson discussed the future of the Nordic-Baltic partnership, the new guidelines for the Baltic-Nordic cooperation that are currently being drafted and should enter into force after the expiry of the current ones in 2013. READ MORE

The leader of South Ossetia opposition, ex-candidate for the President of South Ossetia Alla Dzhioyeva declared to reporters that she had appointed the day of her inauguration on February 10th 2012. “I address to the acting President of South Ossetia Vadim Borovtsev and ask to delegate me the power in civilized way”, - said Dzhioyeva. She underlined that the inauguration shall take place in Tskhinvali in any case, even if the authorities won’t assure her required conditions. READ MORE

Fifteen years after the end of a civil war, Tajikistan is left with thousands of tonnes of munitions insecurely stored in makeshift storage sites across the country. Aside from the many known munitions caches, several more lie undiscovered, posing a major security threat to the Tajik people. A Partnership Trust Fund project, officially launched on 31 January, will soon help Tajikistan to counter this threat. READ MORE

Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili indignantly protests there is no comparison to be drawn between him and his nemesis, russian prime minister vladi­mir putin. In a meeting with The Post’s editorial board last week, he ticked off the differences: Mr. Putin’s regime is founded on corruption, while his is known for cleaning up Georgia’s once-dirty police and bureaucrats. Mr. Putin wages war on minorities, while Mr. Saakashvili’s government just passed a law to protect religious pluralism. Mr. Putin frequently opposes U.S. foreign policy, while Georgia has been a strong ally; it is about to double its troop contingent in Afghanistan. READ MORE

As the US declared its 2013 defense budget, the Wall Street Journal reports that the Obama administration was preparing to create special-operations bases in Turkey. The claim was denied by the Pentagon and not confirmed by Ankara READ MORE

For Armenia, Iran is de facto the sole connection to the outside world. The transport routes through other neighboring countries are blocked. Yerevan fears isolation in case of a military conflict in the Gulf. READ MORE

At the 48th Munich Security Conference, starting February 3, global leaders and generals will tackle Europe's relationship with Asia and the impact of the Arab Spring. DW spoke with Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger. READ MORE