Kairat Kelimbetov, a deputy prime minister who led the nationalization of failing Kazakh lenders in 2009 as the chief of the country’s sovereign wealth fund, will replace Grigori Marchenko as central bank governor. READ MORE

The Arctic region is turning into an area of protracted geopolitical rivalry. This rivalry will not necessarily be expressed in any military confrontation, but rather will take the form of economic, technological and political competition. In this context, the states involved will be ever less prepared to opt for compromise in upholding their national interests within international organizations. NATO’s increasing activity in the Arctic will lead to transfiguration in relations in the area of international security, with new challenges and opportunities emerging for Russia. READ MORE

Despite the EU’s difficulties to get its voice heard on the Syria crisis, Pierre Vimont argues that the 28-country bloc should not underestimate its soft power footprint: “I don’t pretend that we’re doing as much as we’d like, but we’re as active as possible, at least in our neighbourhood.” READ MORE

Russia suspended imports of dairy products from neighboring Lithuania today. The move comes just a few weeks before the EU, whose rotating presidency Lithuania currently holds, convenes with former Soviet republics in Kiev to sign a number of association agreements that the Kremlin strongly objects to.  READ MORE

This is a three-part series on China's evolving strategic interests in Central Asia and in its own far northwest, the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. Part 1 looks at Xinjiang's history as a "buffer region" protecting China's core and linking it to Eurasia. This installment also examines recent efforts by Beijing to adapt the region's legacies to new uses READ MORE

Russian intransigence has helped Ukraine’s integration into Europe READ MORE

The French suffer more from cybercrime than any other Europeans, computer security company Symantec has found. And French companies need to take urgent action to protect themselves from fraud and espionage on the internet, the head of the national cybersecurity agency warns. READ MORE

Russian President Vladimir Putin has had some success recently using his support for the Assad regime in Syria to strengthen Moscow’s position in the Middle East. But his progress on this front is much less important than Moscow’s growing troubles in its “near abroad,” as it refers to the strategically vital area to its immediate west. READ MORE

An informal meeting of Europe’s ministers for foreign affairs - Gymnich - took place on Sept. 6-7 in Vilnius, where discussions centered on preparations for the December European Council on Defense Issues and items related to the Eastern Partnership and southern neighborhood policy, reports ELTA. READ MORE

The year of 2013 can be really considered as a crucial, decisive and a historical year for the gas industry of not only Azerbaijan, but of the whole European energy market. Soon after the choice of Trans-Adriatic pipeline (TAP) in June as a route for transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, contracts were signed in Baku yesterday on delivery of this gas to European consumers. READ MORE