Western relations with Russia have improved since nose-diving after the 2008 war with Georgia, but they face new challenges with the return to the presidency next year of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who is often critical of the West. A new strategy is required to achieve attainable and important interests while not jeopardizing key principles. READ MORE

Poland wants friendly relations with Russia despite recent disagreements and a history of conflicts between the countries, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday. READ MORE

From Geopolitical Point of View Kazakhstan is Very Important, and Lithuania is Ready to Become its Worthy Partner. This was declared by the President of the Lithuanian Republic Dalia Grybauskaite during an exclusive interview to the official web-site of the President www.akorda.kz and Agency “Khabar”. READ MORE

Defence Ministers of the 49 nations which contribute to ISAF expressed strong commitment to support Afghanistan throughout the transition process and well beyond. READ MORE

President Dalia Grybauskaitė, currently on her first official visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan, at the meeting with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev discussed nuclear safety issues - significant for both countries - and agreed to work together on the international arena for more effective measures aimed at ensuring the safety of nuclear facilities. READ MORE

Sino-Russian relations appear to be picking up the tempo with frequent high-level visits taking place in recent months. Last week, the top Chinese military officer, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Gen. Guo Boxiong, met with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and top Russian military brass in Moscow. READ MORE

Vladimir Putin is on a roll. Last month, he revealed he was all set to return to the Russian presidency next year, possibly for as long as twelve years. READ MORE

«Recently in the EU they have claimed  that we can do more with less money. This sounds nice from poetic point of view. From political  - maybe, also nice. But it doesn’t seem nice to those who should do that”, - states former Ambassador to NATO, and now – Advisor of the Prime Minister on the issues of defense and security Linas Linkevičius. READ MORE

President Obama has asked Uzbekistan to expand its role in resupplying troops in Afghanistan as Washington tries to reduce its dependence on Pakistan. READ MORE

American expert Ariel Cohen has once again decided to play the role of visionary. He has promised that this year will become critical for Georgia, as it should now decide the fate of the state and the future course of its development. Due to the weak support from Washington the Caucasian republic can completely find itself in the power of Kremlin. Republican mood of Mr. Cohen has long been known to us. Let's see what kind of future awaits Sakartvelo under different scenarios. READ MORE