There were messy and embarrassing mistakes along the way. But, in the end, German Chancellor Angela Merkel got what she wanted: an end to the endemic system of money laundering and corruption in Cyprus. READ MORE

Turkey's ability to have Islam and democracy coexisting together can help fight extremism in Europe where the Muslim population will continue to rise, Turkish Minister for European Union Affairs Egemen Bagis says. READ MORE

World powers and Iran remain far apart despite two days of intensive talks over Tehran's nuclear programme, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said after the negotiations ended on Saturday. READ MORE

With China’s sights set firmly on taking over from the United States as the world’s largest economy in the next decade, Europe’s engagement with China is critical during this transition phase for a number of reasons, write Javier Solana and Kevin Rudd. READ MORE

North Korean state television broadcasts footage of Kim Jong Un attending an "urgent operation meeting" with senior generals late last month, during which he signed a rocket preparation plan and ordered his forces on standby to strike the US mainland, South Korea, Guam and Hawaii. READ MORE

Kazakhstan's Defence Minister Adilbek Dzhaksybekov met with the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the NATO for the Caucasus and Central Asia James Appathurai and a new NATO officer on interaction with Central Asia Alexander Vinnikov. READ MORE

One could contend that Netanyahu’s phone call and apology to Prime Minister Erdoğan with regard to the Mavi Marmara tragedy, indicates the dawn of a new era in Turkish-Israeli relations.  READ MORE

On 3 April in Vilnius, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius met with the Turkish Minister for European Union Affairs and Chief negotiator Egemen Bağiş to discuss the development of bilateral relations. Both sides agreed on intensifying the cooperation concerning EU agenda during Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the EU. READ MORE

In 2013, the Caspian Region should be eventful, with the Fourth Caspian Summit to take place by the end of the year, and presidential elections in Iran in June and in Azerbaijan in October. In the first half of the year, Barack Obama is going to unveil his second-term regional foreign policy priorities, which will to a great extent define the situation around Iran's nuclear program and the solution of Afghan problems. READ MORE

In March the Head of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius paid a visit to the states of South Caucasus – Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. Against the background of the development of bilateral relations of Lithuania with these states, this visit looks quite logical.  READ MORE