Russia and the United States have announced they will encourage the rebels in Syria and Damascus government to hold talks on a political transition to end more than two years of bloodshed that has left some 70,000 dead.

• May 8, 2013

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili harshly criticized Georgian government's statements on possible resumption of natural-gas imports from Russia.

• May 8, 2013

China on Wednesday accused the United States of sowing discord between China and its neighbors after the Pentagon said Beijing is using espionage to fuel its military modernization, branding Washington the "real hacking empire".

• May 8, 2013

Turkey may become a net energy exporter in the Middle East in the medium term, specifically in light of failures to provide energy in the region due to security concerns.

• May 7, 2013

The Ukrainian government said it wants to allay European concerns over natural gas supplies by serving as a regional energy hub. Conclusions reached during a roundtable discussion in Brussels last week said Kiev deserves to be lauded for its diversification and gas transit modernization efforts.

• May 7, 2013

Russia and Syria have discussed Israel's airstrike on a military complex near the Syrian capital.

• May 7, 2013

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton will meet with Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Said Jalili, in Istanbul on May 15, EU officials said.

• May 4, 2013

A well-known Central Asia expert from Russia's Oriental Studies Institute, Aleksandr Knyazev, has been banned from reentering Kyrgyzstan.

• May 4, 2013