NATO’s senior leader on Tuesday rejected a Russian government proposal that would have required the European alliance to share details on a continentwide missile-defense system. READ MORE

Kazakhstan is increasingly uncomfortable within the Customs Union with Belarus and Russia due to the constant attempts by the Kremlin to politicize the structure originally intended to boost trade relations and ensure free movement of citizens, goods and capital within the union. Recently, Grigoriy Onishenko the head of the Russian sanitary and epidemiology service, urged Kazakhstan to ban the imports of wine and non-alcoholic drinks from Georgia. Clumsily trying to substantiate his statement Onishenko said Georgian wines did not conform to quality standards and the ban was necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the Customs Union. READ MORE

The Russian-led security alliance, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, has pledged to face security challenges in Central Asia by boosting military cooperation. READ MORE

Pakistan and China are celebrating 60 years of close diplomatic relations. While economic ties are growing, experts agree the Pak-China is a friendship based more on strategic purposes than on business. READ MORE

Initiatives of Kazakhstani Chairmanship shall Gain Development within Further Work of the OSCE and Other International Organizations. READ MORE

State considers EUR 1.88 bn purchase of MOL shares a strategic investment READ MORE

The Black Sea is about to lose its historical exclusivity as a Russian-Turkish preserve. A visit by the USA-TRANSCOM commander General Duncan McNabb to Bucharest has sealed the fate of the Black Sea as the latest entry into the chronicles of the "new great game". READ MORE

Serbian President Boris Tadic said that a pragmatic and flexible approach is required to resolve the deadlock pertaining to the future status of Kosovo, reported the Serbian news agency Tanjug on Thursday. READ MORE

In the corridors of Brussels’ elegant Stanhope Hotel on Wednesday afternoon, the well-turned-out movers-and-shakers of the European energy world were marvelling at the sizeable budget and high-profile guest list for the event they were attending. READ MORE

Much has been written about the potential impact that the demise of Osama bin Laden and the possible disintegration of al-Qaida will have on U.S. foreign policy, beginning with the question of whether this will trigger a more rapid disengagement from Afghanistan. But bin Laden's death could also change the foreign policy calculus of other states, notably Russia, which for the past 10 years has promulgated its own version of the global war on terror as a central organizing principle for international affairs. READ MORE