In the wake of the Boston marathon bombs, French interior minister Manuel Valls has asked French police and security forces to increase their vigilance immediately and reinforce preventative operations, especially around public buildings, as a priority. READ MORE

On 16 April, the Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius and the Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivan Mrkić signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the field of European integration on behalf of the Governments, which, according to Linkevičius, should further the mutually beneficial cooperation. READ MORE

The Alliance looks forward to stepping up its partnership with the Republic of Korea, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Friday (12 April 2013) during a three-day long-planned visit to Seoul, the first ever by a NATO Secretary General. “NATO’s partnership with the Republic of Korea is still young, but it has great potential,” he said. READ MORE

The European Commission has warned of deepening economic problems in France, Italy and Spain, and said Slovenia must take urgent steps to offset the risk of a wider destabilisation across the eurozone. READ MORE

The Eastern Europe unanimously placed its bet on the South Stream. Plain fact is that the new Europeans chose to protect their national interests in spite of all temptations and threats from Brussels and Washington. Now the South Stream business blueprint is complete and it is entering construction stage. By the end of 2018 the pipeline is planned to reach a transport capacity of 63 billion cubic meters per year – enough gigajoules to supply energy needs of 38 million households. What has encouraged the pro-South Stream choice of Eastern European political elites presuming their frosty relations with Russia? Why did they not resort to broadly advertised alternatives? READ MORE

For the first time for more than 20 years the court of this country is ready to decide whether to extradite or put into jail a citizen of the Post-Soviet state under the accusations imposed in his motherland. And this is considering that right after his arrival in Vienna a former Kazakh (following the tradition) announced himself to be the “prisoner of conscience” and fighter for democracy. The case is about ex-Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Austria Rakhat Aliyev. READ MORE

President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen discussed cooperation prospects at the meeting in Brussels on Wednesday. READ MORE

Security policies in the Euro-Atlantic region — an area that includes six of the world’s 10 largest economies, four of the five declared nuclear weapon states, and more than 95 percent of global nuclear inventories — are dangerously out of date and demand urgent attention. With a new approach that is grounded in today’s opportunities and challenges, the European community, Russia and the United States can chart a more secure path for their people and the world and avoid the risks and costs of a new downward spiral in relations between states. READ MORE

G8 foreign ministers struggled in vain to agree on a united approach to the bloody conflict in Syria. The talks in London did, however, achieve consensus regarding the situation on the Korean peninsula.

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday warned central banks to be alert to the potential financial risks of super-loose monetary policy adopted to cope with the financial crisis. READ MORE