The Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to increase security cooperation between the two countries.

• January 22, 2013

Ashgabat hosted a meeting of the interdepartmental commission of Turkmenistan on the Caspian Sea, which defined near-term tasks, "Turkmen Dovlet Khabarlary" state news service reported on Monday.

• January 21, 2013

China said on Monday that the United Nations Security Council needed to pass a cautious resolution on North Korea's December rocket launch, saying that was the way to ensure regional tensions do not escalate further.

• January 21, 2013

The Indian government has said that it will not rush into talks with Pakistan over the recent military tensions at the international border in the disputed territory of Kashmir even as ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi Friday made it clear that the country's dialogue with its immediate neighbors must be based on the accepted principles of civilized behavior.

• January 19, 2013

U.N. inspectors failed again in talks in Tehran this week to secure a breakthrough deal on Iran's atomic activity in a setback for diplomatic efforts to resolve the nuclear dispute with the Islamic state peacefully.

• January 18, 2013

Armenian Defence Minister Seyran Ohanyan would not mind hosting a Russian radar station on its territory, News-Armenia reported.

• January 18, 2013

In a press conference for local and foreign media on Tuesday, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said that his country has no stereotyped policies towards Latvia and Lithuania, and that Minsk is prepared to cooperate if these countries have a ''respectful attitude'' towards Belarus

• January 16, 2013

Turkey has announced a tender among companies importing electricity in the country to increase the electricity supply from Iran by existing available electric power facilities, the statement published on the website of Turkey's Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK) said.

• January 16, 2013