A common relief fund of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries will be established on Kazakhstan’s initiative to help the Somali people on the edge of a food crisis. This was announced on August 17 by Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister and Chairman of OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) Yerzhan Kazykhanov, following an OIC emergency meeting in Istanbul, during which member-countries discussed ways to resolve the humanitarian and political crisis in Somalia. READ MORE

An interview with the Director of Kazakhstani Institute for Strategic Studies, PhD in history science, professor Bulat Sultanov. Our interlocutor shares with his view on Chinese threat, the secret of stability in Kazakhstan and further prospects for development of the relations between the People’s Republic of China and Kazakhstan. READ MORE

Long after the bailouts of Wall Street and Greece, the US and EU face an escalating debt crisis. Political gridlock on both sides of the Atlantic prevents the implementation of controversial but necessary solutions. READ MORE

Security threats today are globalised and non-traditional. It’s time for NATO’s partnerships to follow suit, says Ron Asmus. READ MORE

The markets are watching anxiously ahead of a meeting on Tuesday in Paris between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, to discuss ways to try to resolve the eurozone debt crisis. READ MORE

The strategic partnership signed between Kazakhstan and China on July 4, 2005 has now taken a significant step toward further expansion, based on political, economic, security and cultural ties. President Hu Jintau and his Kazakhstani counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev agreed to the details of an “all-round” strategic partnership on June 13, which included boosting the bilateral trade volume by 2015 and holding regular meetings at the prime ministerial level (Xinhua, June 13). READ MORE

Most European citizens (for example, more than 60% in France and Germany) believe that Turkey should not become part of the European Union. There are various reasons for this opposition – some valid, some based on prejudice: Turkey is too big; Turkish migrant workers might swamp other members; Turkey has a shaky human rights record; Turkey oppresses the Kurds; Turkey hasn’t solved its problems with Greece over Cyprus. READ MORE

Shale gas and unconventional gas have a huge future potential when compared with conventional gas supplies. But their lack of social acceptance, and the technological adjustments and regulatory framework required to develop them remain a challenge in Europe, Pawel Konzal, associate director for Energy Industries of the World Economic Forum (WEF), told in an exclusive interview. READ MORE

The situation about the NPP in Lithuania becomes clearer, and the Russians promise to build their own in any case. READ MORE

On a visit to Kosovo, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has urged both Pristina and Belgrade to settle their border crisis. He said all of Europe had an interest in a peaceful solution. READ MORE