According to the press-secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Tigran Balayan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Edward Nalbandian has invited Foreign Ministers of all BSEC member states, including Turkish Minister Ali Babajan, to visit the summit of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC). READ MORE

If Teheran manages to agree with Brussels, gas for the “Nabucco” pipeline could flow from Iran to the EU, comments Armenian analyst Armen Hanbabian for Deutsche Welle.

Today the Iran-Armenia pipeline has a regional importance and is in a way an alternative to the supplies of Russian gas by the pipeline via Georgia. But the Iran-Armenian pipeline could also transport “blue fuel” from Iran to European countries. Moreover, if Teheran manages to agree with the European countries, then gas for the “Nabucco” pipeline could flow from Iran, considers the expert Armen Hanbabian. READ MORE

According to the World Bank report, practically all developing countries are suffering from the economic crisis to greater or lesser extent. 84 of 116 developing countries are going over significant retardation of business activity. In 2009 international GDP reduced sufficiently for the first time since the Second World War. READ MORE

Considering promotion of its authority, role and influence the European Union intensifies the establishment of mutually beneficial relations with all subjects of international law. The Community leads active foreign policy within all world regions. The European Union devotes special attention to Central Asian region that is supported by the New Partnership Strategy between the EU and Central Asia adopted in June 2007. READ MORE

The diplomatic benefits of an undiplomatic outburst.

When Recep Tayyip Erdogan stormed out of a panel discussion with Israel’s President Shimon Peres in Davos last January, denouncing Israel’s offensive in Gaza and quoting the sixth commandment “Thou shalt not kill”, many wondered whether he had just demolished Turkey’s position as the bridge between the Jews and the Arabs, and between the West and the Islamic world. READ MORE

A famous German researcher, an expert in Central Asia Doctor Arne Seifert commented on current issues of Central Asian region. READ MORE

On March 17, Congressmen Adam Schiff, George Radanovich and Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairmen Frank Pallone and Mark Kirk introduced a resolution to the U.S. House of Representatives co-sponsored by over 70 House colleagues to recognize the Armenian "genocide" of 1915. The resolution is identical to the one introduced in both the House and Senate in the 110th Congress, which was adopted by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The timing of the legislation is especially critical, since President Obama will visit Turkey on April 6-7. Obama promised his American-Armenian supporters during his presidential election campaign that he would recognize the 1915 "genocide," yet his trip to Ankara will seek to improve U.S. relations with Turkey after the difficulties experienced in recent years. READ MORE

What will be the policy of the White House with Obama? Today, politicians and analysts can only guess, but they all agree that Washington won’t change its foreign policy course greatly, especially because it will be headed by a well-known Hillary Clinton, and position of the Security Minister is still occupied by Robert Gates. It will be possible to make certain conclusions only in April, after the summit of the “Great Twenty” in London. This meeting of the Presidents of the leading countries will be a political presentation of Barak Obama. There the US and Russian Presidents will meet each other for the first time. Deputy assistant of the US Secretary of State Mathew Bryza dwells on future of Russian-American and Georgian-American relations. READ MORE

The President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow evaded signing the agreement on the East-West gas pipeline construction with Dmitry Medvedev. READ MORE

On March 10 in Moscow, Hungary's privately-owned MOL oil and gas company signed an agreement with Gazprom Export in Moscow to jointly establish a gas storage company in Hungary. Prime Ministers Vladimir Putin and Ferenc Gyurcsany witnessed the signing. This project is separate from and, in all probability, independent from Gazprom's South Stream pipeline project, one section of which is planned to traverse Hungary. MOL is not participating in South Stream (Interfax, March 10, 11). READ MORE