Latest Articles about Foreign Policy
Javier Solana Visits Belarus
On February 19, in the latest stage of the increasing rapprochement between the EU and Belarus, EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana visited Minsk and met with Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. The meeting was perceived by several sources as a... MORE
George Mitchell Visits Ankara Ahead of Gaza Reconstruction Summit, Mends Fences with Turkey
On February 25 and 26 George Mitchell, President Barack Obama's special envoy to the Middle East, visited the Turkish capital of Ankara on his second tour of the region to discuss the future of peace initiatives in the area. Mitchell's visit is to be followed... MORE
Uncertainty Continues to Surround Future of U.S. Air Base
The Kyrgyz government announced that August 18, 2009, would be the final day for the U.S. base's functioning at Manas Airport (www.akipress.kg, February 24). Despite intense criticism from the international community, the Kyrgyz leadership seems is determined to shut down the base as soon as... MORE
Lavrov Offers to Unfreeze Transnistria Negotiations on Eve of Moldova’s Elections
On February 24 and 25, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov undertook a landmark visit to Moldova, in preparation for a possible meeting among Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin, and Transnistria's Moscow-installed leader Igor Smirnov next month. The ostensible goal is... MORE
Gul’s African Visit Could Indicate How Turkey Will Act in the UN Security Council
Turkish President Abdullah Gul visited Kenya and Tanzania to expand Turkey's relations with the two African countries. With this visit, Abdullah Gul became the first Turkish president to pay an official visit to these sub-Saharan nations. Kenya and Turkey signed an agreement that envisages cooperation... MORE
Territorial Dispute Takes Second Place to Russian-Japanese Economic Cooperation
On February 18 Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso visited Sakhalin Island, becoming the first Japanese leader to do so since the end of the Second World War. He was there at the invitation of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to participate in a ceremony marking the... MORE
Critics Question Kazakhstan’s Membership in Collective Rapid Response Force
The Kazakh Interior Ministry recently released a detailed press account of an armed clash between Arlan anti-terrorist detachment and a group of "extremist forces" in the Zelenov District of West Kazakhstan Province. Four soldiers from the Arlan group were reportedly wounded during the fight, but... MORE
The Chinese Armed Forces and Non-Traditional Missions: A Growing Tool of Statecraft
Over the past decade, western militaries and governments have struggled with growing pressures to engage in and balance their responsibilities in “nation-building,” “peacekeeping operations” and other various non-combat tasks. At the same time, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been taking on an increasing... MORE
China and Indonesia: Military-security Ties Fail to Gain Momentum
From February 18 to 19, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in Indonesia as part of an 8-day voyage through Asia. Prior to her trip, Clinton stated that Washington was committed to a stronger relationship with Indonesia, a country she described as “one of... MORE
Wang Jiarui’s New Year’s Visit to Pyongyang and China’s New Approach to North Korea
Chief of the International Liaison Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Wang Jiarui visited Pyongyang on January 21-23, the eve of the Lunar New Year holiday, to mark the beginning of the "Year of China-DPRK Friendship" (Xinhua News Agency, January 23; Korean Central News... MORE