World powers and Iran held unusually detailed talks on Wednesday about how it could show its nuclear work is not a disguised quest for atom bombs, in a Baghdad meeting aimed at halting a slide toward a new Middle East war.

• May 23, 2012

Prime Ministers of Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus will sign a memorandum with business communities, Vice-President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Alexander Murychev announced during the II Eurasian Business Council, which is held within the framework of the V Astana Economic Forum in Astana.

• May 22, 2012

An Uzbek delegation consisting of Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov and Defense Minister Kabul Berdiyev has attended a special session on Afghanistan at the 25th NATO Summit in Chicago (USA), Foreign Ministry said.

• May 22, 2012

Kazakhstan and Ukraine have agreed to cooperate in many sectors of economy, including fuel and energy complex, transport and agriculture, Novosti-Kazakhstan quoted Kazakh First Deputy Prime Minister Serik Ahmetov as saying.

• May 22, 2012

A second round of negotiations on a new agreement to expand the partnership and cooperation between Kazakhstan and the European Union will be held in Brussel on May 24-25, an official representative of Kazakh Foreign Ministry Abibullaev Altai said on Monday.

• May 21, 2012

India is expected to sign an agreement with Turkmenistan this week that will secure 38 million standard cubic meters per day gas supply from the Central Asian country at around $11.5/unit, government officials said. Oil minister Jaipal Reddy is visiting Turkmenistan on Tuesday to sign the gas sale purchase agreement (GAPA) this week, officials said.

• May 21, 2012

China is interested in the development of Tegene coal deposit in Kyrgyzstan, CA-News reported on Wednesday.

• May 21, 2012

A South Korean joint venture in energy-rich Uzbekistan said on Saturday it had secured a $2.5 billion credit line to build a new chemical and gas production unit by 2016.

• May 19, 2012