International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi and envoys from Russia and the United States - backers of opposing sides in Syria's civil war - failed to make a breakthrough in talks on Friday seeking a political solution to the conflict.

• January 15, 2013

The United States sent its top Asian diplomacy and security officials to South Korea and Japan to calm tensions between two U.S. allies whose squabbling has frustrated efforts to deal with a troublesome North Korea and an increasingly assertive China.

• January 15, 2013

Prime Minister of Latvia Valdis Dombrovskis met the new Ambassador of Japan to Latvia Toshiyuki Taga. Both parties agreed that the two countries have stable relations in politics, economy, culture and education. It will become a stimulus for new projects, particularly in economics, and in the investment area, informed BC the State Chancellery and the Latvian Institute.

• January 15, 2013

By Anna Ohanyan, EGF Affiliated Expert on South Caucasus region building

There is much enthusiasm among researchers and policymakers alike concerning the pacifying effects of trade and broader interdependence among states. The European Union is an often cited example of greater regional integration as a way to enhance peace and security among neighboring states. This comparative regional study draws from the cases of the Balkans and South Caucasus in order (1) to offer a descriptive account of patterns and processes of regionalism in politically divided conflict areas, and (2) to examine the extent to which such regional engagement can positively affect ongoing conflict management efforts in a given conflict region. The study advocates promoting regional structures as a new and potentially effective approach to peace-building and security enhancement, toward managing the many 'frozen conflicts' both in the Balkans as well as in the South Caucasus. READ MORE

• January 15, 2013

Iran is working with southern secessionists in Yemen to expand its influence and destabilize the strategic region around the Straits of Hormuz, the U.S. envoy to Yemen was quoted as saying, Reuters reported.

• January 14, 2013

Iran, Iraq, and Syria have signed an agreement to expand cooperation through boosting transit of goods through joint borders, the Fars News Agency quoted Iranian Deputy Roads and Urban Development Minister Shahryar Afandizadeh as saying.

• January 14, 2013

Worried about dependence on pricier gas from Iran and Russia, Turkey is turning to its own coal. The country signed a deal with a United Arab Emirates company that will boost its coal-fired power capacity 67 percent.

• January 14, 2013

Russia has called for political transition in Syria but reiterated that Syrians themselves should decide about the future of their country without outside interference.

• January 12, 2013