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Obama visit: Why U.S. now needs Germany more than ever

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By Sudha David-Wilp

U.S. President John F. Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech delivered 50 years ago was well received by more than 100,000 Germans hopeful for America's steadfast support as Berlin came to symbolize one of the Cold War's main battlegrounds. As presidential candidate in the summer of 2008, Barack Obama had nearly twice that number of optimistic onlookers at Berlin's Victory Column who eagerly anticipated a new American outlook on questions ranging from climate change to nuclear disarmament. READ MORE

East in the European Union Context

By Arthur Dunn

Annual Summits of the states of Central and Eastern Europe gather the leaders of the countries of the region, which has the potential of not only consolidating role, but also to help Europe to find its place in the world after crisis. Such meetings are the only consultation forum of regional character, uniting the states located between Baltic Sea, Black Sea and the Adriatic, by this independently of that whether they are NATO, European Union, Euro zone or not. That is why they represent important international events, for example, two years ago in Warsaw, where 20 heads of the states were present. The US President Barak Obama was an honorable guest.  READ MORE

Prime minister: Lithuanians have ‘little interest’ in their country’s EU presidency

By Ewald König

Despite a high rate of approval for the European project, Lithuanians appear to have little interest in the country’s first stint at leading the rotating presidency of the EU, starting 1 July, Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius told  READ MORE

Kazakh president and British PM to discuss oil and gas sector

On June 30, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron is going to pay to Kazakhstan an official visit during which ti is planned to discuss the oil and gas sector, official representative of the central communications service under the President of Kazakhstan Altay Abibullayev said at a press briefing on Monday. READ MORE

Former Polish President Aleksander Kwaśniewski's advice to his compatriots: Be more sensitive in dealing with Lithuanians, otherwise you'll come across as arrogant

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By Eglė Digrytė

Former President of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski is perplexed about why the Poles and the Lithuanians, just recently strategic partners, are at each other's throats over matters like spelling of names and learning official language. “I said many times [to Lithuania's Polish community]: you're Lithuanian citizens so you have to be loyal to your country and you have to speak Lithuanian,” the politician, who still remains a popular politician on this side of the border, said during an interview to 15min. READ MORE

Czech PM Petr Necas resigns over major corruption scandal

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The Czech Republic is in political chaos after a spectacular police raid that prompted Prime Minister Petr Necas to announce his resignation. Necas will stay on as caretaker leader until a new government is named. READ MORE

LITHUANIAN PRESIDENCY APPROACHING: INSTITUTIONAL COOPERATION IS NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE COMMON EU GOALS

Lithuanian foreign affairs vice-minister Vytautas Leškevičius, while presenting the principal goals of the Lithuanian Presidency of the European Union (EU) Council in the Conference of Committee Chairs of the European Parliament (EP) in Strasbourg, stressed the importance of the cooperation of the EU institutions. READ MORE

Geopolitical Journey: The Search for Belonging and Ballistic Missile Defense in Romania

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By George Friedman

During the Cold War, Romania confused all of us. Long after brutality in other communist countries declined, Romania remained a state that employed levels of violence best compared to North Korea today. Nicolae Ceausescu, referred to by admirers as the Genius of the Carpathians, ruled Romania with a ruthless irrationality. Government policies left the country cold and dark, and everyday items readily available just a few kilometers south in Bulgaria were rarities in Romania. At the same time -- and this was the paradox -- Romania was hostile and uncooperative with the Soviets. Bucharest refused to submit to Moscow, and this did not compute for many of us. Resistance to Soviet power, in our minds, meant liberalization, like what we saw in Hungary and Czechoslovakia. But not in Romania; Romania played a different game. READ MORE

Turkish Cyprus demands deadline for peace talks, rejects ‘perpetual negotiations'

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By Sinem Cengiz

Frustrated by decades of unfruitful negotiations between the Turkish and Greek sides to reunify the divided island of Cyprus, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) Ambassador to Turkey Mustafa Lakadamyalı has stated that there should be a definite deadline for negotiations on the divided Mediterranean island, adding that the talks cannot go on forever. READ MORE

Economic Relations between Russia and the EU: In Search of a Common Vision

By Pavel Kanevskiy

The promotion of innovative business within European markets is not only key to overcoming the remaining differences between Russia and the European Union and establishing a mutually beneficial investment environment, but it is also an element of the Russian version of “soft power”. This article examines the existing models of Russia-Europe innovation cooperation, as well as its potential from the perspective of Russian foreign policy strategy. READ MORE