With the Palestinians demonstrating and the International Monetary Fund in turmoil, it would seem odd to focus this week on something called the Visegrad Group. But this is not a frivolous choice. What the Visegrad Group decided to do last week will, I think, resonate for years, long after the alleged attempted rape by Dominique Strauss-Kahn is forgotten and long before the Israeli-Palestinian issue is resolved. The obscurity of the decision to most people outside the region should not be allowed to obscure its importance. READ MORE

The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia met behind closed doors here on Saturday, as international mediators ratcheted up the pressure for a breakthrough in the long conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. READ MORE

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

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

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