Ambassador Vladimir Chizhov Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the EU stated that Minsk participation within “Eastern Partnership” program won’t disturb close relations between Russia and Belarus. In addition, Russian diplomat stipulated that Moscow “keeps watch over the program thoroughly”. The EU offered six post-Soviet states to join this program. READ MORE

The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen Yury Merzlyakov (Russia), Bernard Fassier (France) and Matthew Bryza (USA) issued a statement on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

The statement notes that the meeting of Presidents Serge Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev in Zurich on January 28th resulted from the Co-Chairs visit to Yerevan and Baku and their meeting with Armenian and Azerbaijani Ministers of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mamedyarov. During the meeting the Co-Chairmen were informed by the Presidents on the basic principles of the conflict resolution. READ MORE

On 5 February 2009 Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner will participate in the EU-Ukraine Foreign Ministers' Troika in Prague. The Ukrainian side will be represented by Foreign Minister, Volodomyr Ohryzko. The Troika will cover a range of bilateral issues and issues of common concern including developments in the region, the Eastern Partnership, the state of play on negotiations towards an Association Agreement as well as energy. READ MORE

Lithuanian representative to the European Parliament Vitautas Landsbergis criticizes the communiqué of the European Commission on Eastern partnership, as this document omits  the issue of member-states security. On January 20th EP Сommittee on Foreign Affairs together with authorized General Director of the EC RELEX Directorate-General Eneko Landaburu discussed a new communiqué on Eastern partnership. READ MORE

Obviously, gas war in its current progress is a next knock-down of the “Putin’s Russia”.

As still there is no other political Russia, each of the kind of strike should be assessed differentially. As well it should be considered weather it damages the dead-end Putin’s model or the statehood itself? READ MORE

On January 15th Georgian State Minister for Reintegration Temur Iakobashvili declared to reporters, that Georgia will refuse to prolong the OSCE mission in Georgia, provided it demands to violate territorial integrity of the country. “It’s important for us to save OSCE mission in our country. But there are more significant values, fundamental principles like territorial integrity. So we’ll never accept the mandate that would ruin these principles. If Russia changes its decision and chooses the formulation, that would not violate these principles, we’ll agree on it.  But we disagree with purely formal presence of the OSCE mission with another name and format”, - stated Iakobashvili.  READ MORE

Recent legislation to tackle religious extremism in Kyrgystan is a pretext for targetting Evangelicals and religious minorities. State propaganda has created popular hostility towards non-Muslims. Tackling this situation requires inclusive rhetoric from local leaders and the curbing of anti-westernism. READ MORE

Greek OSCE Chair pledges to be honest broker, forge stronger ties among States in time of challenge.

The OSCE is well placed to address Europe's changing geopolitical challenges in a time marked by crises, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis, said today in her first address to the Organization's 56 participating States. READ MORE

Legal amendments bolstering the power of the Turkmen parliament went into effect January 13 after being published in the government-run newspaper, Neutralny Turkmenistan. READ MORE

Widely monitored unprecedented gas conflict between Ukraine and Russia, resulting in grave energy crises in Europe, has become not only one of the most acute crises in the relations of the two former USSR states. It appeared to be an alarming sing for CIS countries, political ideology of which is primarily oriented on West European values. And economic interests above all are lying in the most receptive and solvent European market. READ MORE