Former Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev said the resignation he signed had not come into force because the interim authorities reneged on a promise to protect his relatives. READ MORE

Ukraine has agreed to a lengthy extension for the Russian Black Sea Fleet's base in Crimea in exchange for a major discount on Kyiv's imports of Russian gas. READ MORE

Speech by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen - Tallinn, Estonia READ MORE

NATO foreign ministers are breathing a collective sigh of relief as skies in Europe clear from volcanic ash and their April 22-23 meeting in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, can now officially go ahead. READ MORE

NATO Secretary General Anders Rasmussen has appealed for a joint missile defense shield with Russia to cover Europe and offer protection from a possible terror attack. But analysts are still cautious about its prospects. READ MORE

Mikhail Saakashvili, the president of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, is in Washington this week for the Nuclear Security Summit. After Georgia's 2008 war with Russia, the U.S. pledged a billion dollars in humanitarian aid to Georgia, which has sent troops both to Afghanistan and Iraq. Robert Siegel talks to Saakashvili about the nuclear summit, and about U.S. aid to his country. READ MORE

Yerevan’s call to halt ratification of an accord on normalizing ties has Turkey evaluating the possible legal and political repercussions, and prompted the country’s leader to reiterate his commitment to the normalization process. READ MORE

Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis and Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre, who could not come to Lithuania due to the cancelled flights in Europe, discussed issues of bilateral relations, cooperation in the Baltic Sea region, economy and international security during a teleconference that was held on 19 April. READ MORE

The U.S. has started to formulate and implement more comprehensive policies for Central Asia. The deepening involvement in the war in Afghanistan is the principal, but not sole cause for this policy initiative. Russia’s attempts to impose its hegemony upon Central Asia and oblige the U.S. to recognize it have triggered a reaction in Washington. Likewise, China’s completion of the pipeline to Turkmenistan and major investment projects in Central Asia forced the U.S. to devise new ways to enhance its energy and economic profile there as well. As a result, in early 2010, we now see the elements of a new and stronger policy initiative towards Central Asia. READ MORE

The 2010 Ukrainian elections have been consigned to history books.  The election season and the winter passed without a major Ukrainian natural gas crisis, and a major gas cutoff, such as occurred in 2009, was avoided.  However, the ingredients for future crises remain. Energy reforms, in particular those in line with European Union recommendations, have yet to be enacted. READ MORE