Politicians, business leaders and civil society experts from Germany and Russia are meeting in Munich for the "Petersburg Dialog", a key semi-annual event meant to strengthen ties between the two countries. READ MORE

A three-day visit by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to Istanbul is more than just his first official trip abroad as the head of the Russian Orthodox Church or than his first visit to the Patriarch of Constantinople, also known as Ecumenical Patriarch. READ MORE

Another ethnic conflict accumulates in China. This conflict should be resolved by joint forces of Kazakhstan and China. READ MORE

The 18th Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly today adopted its concluding document, the Vilnius Declaration, outlining a set of policy recommendations to the governments of the OSCE participating States. READ MORE

The European Parliament has elected former Polish Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek as its new president, making him the first politician from the former communist bloc to hold one of the European Union's top posts. READ MORE

Turkey and four EU member states have signed a historic deal in Ankara allowing work to start on the Nabucco natural gas pipeline, which is aimed at allowing the European Union to tap directly into non-European gas reserves. READ MORE

The presidents of Russia and the USA appear to have achieved progress over missile defence, an issue with a direct impact on transatlantic relations, the international press reported. READ MORE

On June 30 the OSCE officially terminated its Mission in Georgia, which had for 17 years monitored the situation in and around South Ossetia. Russia forced the OSCE to close the Mission by vetoing the prolongation of its mandate in the OSCE's Permanent Council. Also on June 30 the U.N. Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG), which had for 15 years monitored the situation in and around Abkhazia, began evacuating its personnel, following Russia's veto against that Mission's mandate in the U.N. Security Council. READ MORE

The signing ceremony for the intergovernmental agreement to build the Nabucco gas pipeline will be a high-profile event, gathering the prime ministers of several countries on 13 July in Ankara. READ MORE

G-8 leaders have laid down the gauntlet to Iran by setting a September deadline for the Islamic Republic to accept negotiations over its nuclear ambitions or else face tougher sanctions. READ MORE