On 8 December in Vilnius, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis and Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Girts Valdis Kristovskis discussed bilateral relations, common issues of energy security policy and promotion of the Nordic-Baltic cooperation. READ MORE

A few years ago it was common to refer to Russia as an "energy superpower". High global energy prices prior to the global financial crisis and Russia's control over Central Asian oil and gas exports underscored the seemingly irrefutable proposition of Moscow's influence. READ MORE

President Dmitri A. Medvedev ofRussia awarded the Order of Friendship this week to Andrzej Wajda, the celebrated Polish film director, an event few Poles or Russians could have imagined taking place. READ MORE

In its decade-long slog to secure Afghanistan, the United States has juggled contradictory foreign policies in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, the fragile Central Asian states with key supporting roles in the war. There’s the policy of engaging the two post-Soviet states for their own sake, promoting good governance, human rights, and business ties – the usual grab-bag of US diplomacy. Then there’s the policy of using them as logistical hubs in the Afghanistan war. READ MORE

WikiLeaks revealed U.S. Embassy cable READ MORE

Indeed, conjurer Saakashvili's left hand does not know what his right hand is doing. While Mishiko is spreading himself and shouting from all the rostrums that Georgia stands for peace in the whole world and he himself is a white dove carrying an olive branch, the president's deeds speak for themselves. Saakashvili is a poor peacemaker. It's not without reason that Moscow, Sukhum and Tskhinval took the breast-beating and vowing and protesting that there will be no more firing in an equally skeptic way. How can one trust a person who is promising peace and getting ready for a war behind the scenes? READ MORE

In interview, secretary general dismisses concerns about Russian belligerence. READ MORE

Western energy firms are poised to strike deals in Turkmenistan as the Central Asian state opens up its lucrative oil and gas reserves after years of isolation. READ MORE

In his annual address Tuesday to both houses of parliament, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev warned that a new arms race would erupt if Moscow and the West cannot agree on a joint European missile defense program. Medvedev gave the following ultimatum: “Either we reach agreement on missile defense and create a full joint cooperation mechanism, or, if we don’t go into a constructive agreement, a new phase of the arms race will begin. And we will have to make a decision on deploying new means of attack.” READ MORE

Within the past two days the whole world followed intently the course of the OSCE high-level summit in Astana. Late at night, after the long and heavy discussions, the participants of the Summit voted foradoption of the Astana Declaration Towards a Security Community. The mass media have already started publishing the comments and views of the participants, international experts and politicians on the event. It should be noted that after the adoption of the document, the representatives of several states and international structures expressed their regret over insufficient concrete formulations of the Summit's final document, but all of them agreed that the participating states reaffirmed their full adherence to the UN charter and all fundamental principles and commitments of the OSCE. Thus, a representative of the European Union said: "The Summit document confirms our joint vision of a security community for the future". READ MORE