Belarus should step up the accession to the World Trade Organization, BelTA learned from Mr Alexander Luchenok, Doctor of Economy, department head of the Economy Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. Alexander Luchenok took part in the international scientific and practical conference Social and Economic Development of Organizations and Regions in Belarus: Sustainability, Development, Innovations.

• October 19, 2012

Russia criticised the European Union on Wednesday for imposing new sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme and called for a fresh round of talks between world powers and Tehran as soon as possible.

• October 18, 2012

A group of European ambassadors in Dushanbe visited Tajikistan's eastern region of Gorno-Badakhshan, the scene of a recent bloody military operation.

• October 18, 2012

New Kazakh Ambassador has been appointed to North Korea, the Kazakh presidential press-service reported today.

• October 18, 2012

Nuclear envoys from South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed on Wednesday to closely cooperate on North Korean nuclear issues, foreign ministry officials here said.

• October 17, 2012

General William M. Fraser III, current Commander of United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), arrived in Turkmenistan for consultations, the U.S. Embassy in Turkmenistan reported.

• October 17, 2012

Kazakhstan has announced the signing of a new regional agreement on the transit of goods. Kazakh Ambassador to Azerbaijan Serik Primbetov has stated that Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Turkey are preparing an agreement on the transit of goods by rail via the being built route of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars.

• October 17, 2012

Paul Pryce
EGF Affiliated Expert on Conflict Management and the OSCE Institutions

Since the outbreak of initial hostilities in November 1990, the Transnistrian conflict persists. While numerous initiatives have been proposed over the past two decades both by external actors and by the parties to the conflict, the de jure Moldovan government and the de facto Transnistrian authorities, little progress has been made to secure a more lasting peace. Click here to read more.

• October 17, 2012