On April 21 Kazakhstan's Defense Minister Daniyal Akhmetov announced the country's refusal to participate in the NATO military exercises in Georgia. Cooperative Longbow-Cooperative Lancer 2009 was scheduled for May 6 to June 1 in Georgia, originally involving forces from 18 nations. Akhmetov did not provide... MORE

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicholas Sarkozy reignited the debate on Turkey's place within Europe by questioning the wisdom of Turkey seeking full membership of the European Union. Attending a meeting in Berlin, the two leaders emphasized their objection to the EU's enlargement... MORE

On April 27, Police Major Denis Yevsyukov, chief of the Tsaritsino district precinct in Southern Moscow, opened fire in a supermarket, killing two and injuring six -with four critically injured (www.publicverdict.org, April 27). The major also shot dead the taxi driver who had driven him... MORE

In a special video posting on his official Kremlin blog President Dmitry Medvedev emphasized that the World War II Victory-Day on May 9 is an "all-Russian celebration, uniting the entire nation." But it is not all positive. Around half of Medvedev's video address was spent... MORE

Turkey has reorganized its counter-terrorist institutions in order to enhance its overall strategy, reflecting the changes within the international security climate. The Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek revealed plans to establish a new organization responsible for implementing an effective counter terrorism strategy. This organization will... MORE

Armenia's President Serzh Sarksyan is facing mounting domestic criticism against his conciliatory policy toward Turkey, which is regarded as an initiative that has achieved few tangible results. A recent joint announcement by Ankara and Yerevan on a "roadmap" for normalizing bilateral ties has met with... MORE

The Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9, marking the 64th anniversary of the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany, offered a curious mixture of pomp, myth and nostalgia -all vital elements for the Russian leadership. As the Spassky Tower on Red Square struck... MORE

On May 11 in Tbilisi, a four-member delegation of the opposition's coalition held talks with President Mikheil Saakashvili and Parliamentary Chairman Davit Bakradze. This was the first time the extra-parliamentary opposition took up the government's often-repeated invitation to hold talks, since the start of daily... MORE

In last week's bloodbath at an engagement party, masked gunmen armed with assault rifles killed 44 people including the bride and the groom in a small village in Turkey's southeastern province Mardin. As the country debated the causes of this carnage, attention shifted to an... MORE

Barely nine days after the Hungarian gas trader Emfesz KFT announced that it will begin receiving supplies of 3 billion cubic meters annually from the Zug (Switzerland) based company RosGas AG, rather than the now inactive RosUkrEnergo (RUE) the Russian press reported that Emfesz has... MORE