UN court set to rule on legality of Kosovo's 2008 unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia

The US has pledged to back Kosovo's 2008 unilateral declaration of independence regardless of a UN court verdict on its legality due today. READ MORE

Kazakhstan's president said his country is ready to be a part of the Nabucco gas pipeline, but the European Union must do more to make its participation in the project possible. READ MORE

Central Asia arrived at a turning point last weekend far removed from the history of Genghis Khan riding out to conquer the world, as it sought peacekeepers from Europe. Russia, which has provided security to the region for the past century and more is stepping aside - unable or unwilling, and possibly incapable of performing that role anymore. READ MORE

The Russian leader has re-enacted the famous American goodwill tour of his predecessor a half century ago, but faces the same Cold War scheming. Will his attempts to befriend Europe have more success? READ MORE

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has met with President Nursultan Nasarbeyev of Kazakhstan to discuss trade and investment. The visit draws her five-day tour of Asia to a close. READ MORE

On 16-17 July at the informal ministerial meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Almaty, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis encouraged OSCE members to take dialogue on European and Eurasian security forward. READ MORE

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group released a statement on Saturday encouraging the peaceful settlement of the Nagorny Karabakh conflict, the OSCE website said. READ MORE

Russian officials have reiterated pledges to pursue pro-active Far Eastern energy policies, backed by sizable investments. Moscow would invest up to $100 billion to develop new natural gas deposits in the next five years, Deputy Prime Minister, Igor Sechin, announced. Many of these new deposits are located in Eastern Siberia and Russia’s Far East. READ MORE

President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday reaffirmed his commitment for Afghan police and soldiers to take charge of security nationwide by 2014 and urged his international backers to distribute more of their development aid through the government. READ MORE

OSCE Foreign Ministers meeting in Almaty reached consensus on holding a summit in Astana this year and reinforcing OSCE assistance to Kyrgyzstan, said the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakhstan's Secretary of State and Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev. READ MORE