U.S. and North Korean diplomats began talks Monday on Pyongyang's nuclear program, the second direct encounter between the two sides in less than three months.

• October 24, 2011

Pakistan, Morocco, Togo and Guatemala were elected on Friday to the 15-nation UN Security Council for 2012 and 2013, and Islamabad's envoy said he looked forward to working with fellow council member India. The race for a fifth council seat, representing Eastern Europe, was adjourned until Monday after neither of the two candidates, Azerbaijan and Slovenia, was able to win a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly after nine votes.

• October 22, 2011

Turkmen refinery announces tender for communication equipment and alarm systems

• October 8, 2011

President Barack Obama cautioned Pakistan on Thursday that it is jeopardizing long-term relations with the United States - including billions of dollars in military and civilian aid - by maintaining ties with insurgent groups that are fighting U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan.

• October 7, 2011

by Mehmet Ogutcu,
Expert in global energy security matters

The Turkish leadership has committed itself to a tough position on Israel, Cyprus and Syria, and any backtracking or sign of weakness will seriously affect its credibility at home, with regional partners, the “Arab Street” and other major global powers, as well as high stakes involved in the Eastern Mediterranean. This represents a policy of principle, consistent with the values and goals the government pursues, but is also a risky one, which if not well managed may lead to some undesirable hot confrontation. The power comes with responsibility if it will be effectively harnessed.

• October 5, 2011

Assistant Secretary Geoffrey Pyatt of Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs today stressed that U.S. and India are committed to keep the world safe from nuclear weapons.

• October 3, 2011

In the wake of the “Arab Spring,” Algeria causes concerns as its less than democratic past faces the region’s democratic revolutions. Some eight months after the start of the unexpected uprisings in the region, however, Algeria remains relatively stable. READ MORE

• October 1, 2011

A Russian-controlled company will soon start supplying 20 percent of the aviation fuel at the strategically vital U.S. air base in Kyrgyzstan, and it could eventually increase that share, officials said

• September 28, 2011