The United Arab Emirates is interested in strengthening economic cooperation with Azerbaijan, UAE Economy Minister Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri said at the fourth meeting of the Higher Economic Cooperation Council of Azerbaijan and the UAE, Al-Ittihad news agency reported.

• December 19, 2012

ISSUE #49
12/18/2012
On 13 December 2012, the European Parliament issued a resolution calling on the Ukrainian authorities to respect and implement the final rulings of the European Court of Human Rights on the cases of Yuliya Tymoshenko and Yuriy Lutsenko. It also said Ukraine needed to reform its judiciary and improve its electoral legislation. READ MORE

• December 19, 2012

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon held a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Redjep Tayyip Erdogan during his official visit to Turkey, Avesta.Tj reported on Tuesday.

• December 18, 2012

Iran and Turkmenistan today have signed a gas-for-equipment barter deal, Fars reported citing Iranian diplomatic sources. Previously it has been reported that Iran is in debt for about $1 billion to Turkmenistan for gas imports, and is working out on a deal to offer its Central Asian neighbor other commodities, instead of money.

• December 18, 2012

Gazprom wants its two major projects – South Stream and Nord Stream – to be granted exceptions from the EU third energy package, seeking to retain control over their transportation capacity. A new version of an agreement on transnational energy transportation projects will be handed over to the  European Commission on Friday during a Russia-EU summit on energy issues, Russia’s Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak said on Monday. The agreement should regulate South Stream and Nord Stream projects instead of the third energy package which is criticized in Russia.

• December 18, 2012

During the thirteenth meeting of the Cooperation Council between the EU and Azerbaijan the sides confirmed their commitment to the negotiations with Turkmenistan on the construction of the Trans-Caspian Pipeline.

• December 17, 2012

Georgia says it will move to formally ask Russian peacekeepers to leave the breakaway region of Abkhazia following reports that they seized and beat five Georgian police officers.

• December 17, 2012

U.S. President Barack Obama has signed into law legislation that grants permanent normal trade relations to Russia and Moldova while also paving the way for sanctions against Russian officials implicated in the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.

• December 17, 2012