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Why the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is Important

By Dmitri A Titoff

When the SCO emerged at the turn of the century, Western observers worried that its key founders, Russia and China, plotted an anti-NATO bloc. It turns out, however, that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s primary objective is to keep the status-quo in Eurasia. READ MORE

A new page in Indo-Pakistani relations?

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By Gauri Khandekar

In the run-up to their respective independence days, India and Pakistan have renewed peace and security talks. But while people on both sides deeply desire peace, there still remains a deep mistrust at the political and military level. READ MORE

Kazakh OIC Presidency Contributes to Establishing Relief Fund for Somalia

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A common relief fund of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries will be established on Kazakhstan’s initiative to help the Somali people on the edge of a food crisis. This was announced on August 17 by Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister and Chairman of OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) Yerzhan Kazykhanov, following an OIC emergency meeting in Istanbul, during which member-countries discussed ways to resolve the humanitarian and political crisis in Somalia. READ MORE

Bulat Sultanov: "We Shouldn’t Be Afraid of Neighbors, but Respect Them"

An interview with the Director of Kazakhstani Institute for Strategic Studies, PhD in history science, professor Bulat Sultanov. Our interlocutor shares with his view on Chinese threat, the secret of stability in Kazakhstan and further prospects for development of the relations between the People’s Republic of China and Kazakhstan. READ MORE

Kazakhstan Looks East: Sino-Kazakh Strategic Partnership Deepens

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By Roger McDermott

The strategic partnership signed between Kazakhstan and China on July 4, 2005 has now taken a significant step toward further expansion, based on political, economic, security and cultural ties. President Hu Jintau and his Kazakhstani counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev agreed to the details of an “all-round” strategic partnership on June 13, which included boosting the bilateral trade volume by 2015 and holding regular meetings at the prime ministerial level (Xinhua, June 13). READ MORE

Is Hungary Becoming China's Hub in Central Europe?

By Russell Hsiao, Matthew Czekaj

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao stopped in Budapest with great fanfare. The Hungarian government, then closing out its term as rotating presidency of the EU Council of Ministers, celebrated Mr. Wen’s call on the Pearl of the Danube as an important coup for the Central European nation's efforts to attract the attention of the giant from the East. READ MORE

Experts look to future of China, Russia ties

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By Cheng Guangjin

Ten years after China and Russia signed the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, diplomats and scholars from both countries gathered on Monday in Beijing to seek ways to further promote bilateral cooperation in the next decade. READ MORE

A Step Toward Trust With China

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By Mike Mullen

THE military relationship between the United States and China is one of the world’s most important. And yet, clouded by some misunderstanding and suspicion, it remains among the most challenging. There are issues on which we disagree and are tempted to confront each other. But there are crucial areas where our interests coincide, on which we must work together. READ MORE

Kazakhstan, Germany reached high level of mutual understanding and share similar positions on current int’l issues - Y. Kazykhanov

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Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Kazykhanov has visited Belgium, Great Britain and Germany on July 18-20. READ MORE

“Reset” Regret: Russian “Sphere of Privileged Interests” in Eurasia Undermines U.S. Foreign Policy

By Ariel Cohen

For many years, Russian diplomats have openly proclaimed that the former Soviet republics that make up the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) are not truly sovereign states. Russian analysts have stated that Russia regards the Obama Administration’s “reset” policy as a U.S. admission that the CIS is within Russia’s sphere of influence. The reset policy has hitherto conspicuously failed to address important U.S. interests in Eurasia, including preventing the emergence of a hegemonic power in Eurasia, maintaining a level playing field in access to markets and natural resources, and developing democracy and free markets based on the rule of law. Since the “reset,” President Obama has downgraded his meetings with post-Soviet heads of state, signaling a lesser U.S. involvement and interest. Some senior U.S. officials have even told their subordinates not to bother them with the problems of the Caucasus. READ MORE