Kazakhstan Poised to Step into the OSCE's Chairmanship
Kazakhstan is actively preparing to take over the OSCE's chairmanship next year. The challenges are daunting to any chairing country and the organization as such. According to multiple, though unofficial reports from the organization's Vienna headquarters, Kazakhstan has asked Finland to host an OSCE summit in 2010 in Helsinki, focusing on Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's initiative to create a "new European security architecture." The proposed event will be the OSCE's first summit at the level of heads of state since Istanbul in 1999. READ MORE
Ukraine is a Serious Problem
As I influence international policy to some extent I strive to participate in the creation of free and secure world for all nations, including my people by all means. Grounding on these principles, I comment on serious international problems hoping for positive result. In this article I’d like to dwell on Ukrainian issue, which is a serious problem to my view. READ MORE
David Kramer: Obama’s Administration Can Marginalize Ukraine
Last time we talked to David Kramer in November 2007. Then he was a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, responsible for Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus affairs, and later an Assistant Secretary of State. READ MORE
Russia-West Partnership Hurt by Moscow's Paranoia
Russia has an ongoing fear of being encircled and slowly pushed back by the West, making it difficult for other nations to have valuable relations with Moscow. Should the West even pursue a partnership with such a paranoid regime, even though the alternative is very unpleasant? READ MORE
Steinmeier pushes for arms cuts on Moscow visit
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on a visit to Moscow urged Russian leaders not to miss an opportunity for improved ties with the US and a new deal on global nuclear disarmament. READ MORE
Kazakhstan’s Strategic Significance
The decision by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to award Kazakhstan the chairmanship of the organization for 2010 underscores a growing recognition of the country’s regional and continental importance. Kazakhstan is a strategic linchpin in the vast Central Asian-Caspian Basin zone, a region rich in energy resources and a potential gateway for commerce and communications between Europe and Asia. READ MORE
Paet Met with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov
During their bilateral meeting held within the framework of the meeting of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) foreign ministers in Elsinore, Denmark, the ministers discussed the state of Estonia-Russia relations and developments since their last meeting in December 2008. They also addressed bilateral economic relations, visa policy, and the status of many agreements that are currently being worked out. READ MORE
