Many people wouldn't know that former United States president Ronald Reagan's signature phrase "trust, but verify" is actually the translation of a Russian proverb - doveryai, no proveryai. Two decades into the post-Cold War era, Moscow wants to reclaim the self-contradictory phrase from the American repertoire and apply it to Russia's "reset" of ties with the United States.

• December 14, 2010

ISSUE #21
12/03/2010

On November 26th, 2010 in Moscow after the Ukrainian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission President of Ukraine announced that he did not rule out Ukraine entering the Customs Union (CU) with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. He added that, in order to achieve that goal certain amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine should be made, which according to him could be done either in the Parliament or by a National referendum. Earlier, in April, Viktor Yanukovych has expressed an opposite opinion regarding this matter. 'Ukraine has made a choice in favor of joining the World Trade Organization (WTO). Ukraine is already integrated in the WTO and today Ukraine entering the Customs Union would be impossible', -he said. th As a reminder, on November 25 European Parliament adopted a resolution on Ukraine. In this document European legislators are calling on Ukraine to make all effort to finish negotiation on an agreement as to the Association Treaty between the European Union (EU) and Ukraine in the first half of 2011. READ MORE

• December 14, 2010

Hundreds of people protested against the Russian government Sunday at two separate rallies in Moscow, with opposition activists calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and nationalists demanding greater rights for ethnic Russians. Several opposition activists were detained.

• December 13, 2010

Iran's president, on a visit to China, has criticised the world's nuclear powers for wanting "to monopolise" the technology for their own gain.

• December 13, 2010

Reflecting their desire to deepen the strategic partnership, India and Germany have for the first time discussed the possibilities of entering into bilateral cooperation in civil nuclear energy.

• December 13, 2010

With Turkey's foreign policy not based on a zero-sum game, the country tries to maximize its relations with all countries to be an effective player in the region, and eventually in the world, according to Gökhan Çetinsaya, the rector of İstanbul Şehir University.

• December 13, 2010

Ahmet Davutoglu is the first Turkish foreign minister visiting Turkmenistan in nine years.

• December 13, 2010

ISSUE #20
11/26/2010

November 22nd, in Brussels 14-th Summit European Union (EU) -Ukraine got underway.
The President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych took part in the summit. During the meeting delegates discussed the process of reforms in Ukraine, relations between Ukraine and the EU, as well as the issues of regional cooperation. Also the parties signed the protocol to the Cooperation and Partnership agreement, that outlines main principles of Ukraine's participation in EU's programs.
The key moment of the Summit was EU's proposition of the Action Plan to grant Ukraine visa-free travel for short stays in EU countries. READ MORE

• December 13, 2010