A Turkish delegation led by President Abdullah Gul has been preparing to leave for New York on Sept. 20 for next week’s UN General Assembly, which will provide an opportunity for Turkish diplomats to bring regional issues, particularly Syria, to the world’s agenda in a bid to stop the violence …

 Commenting on the capture of the northern Syrian town of Azaz by an al-Qaeda-affiliated group, Turkish President Abdullah Gül has said Turkey has repeatedly warned international powers that the unsolved Syrian crisis would breed instability and terrorism in the war-torn country.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Thursday rejected allegations that chemical weapons have been sent to neighboring Syria via Turkey, saying the charges are “impossible to take seriously.” “It is out of the question that we show the slightest tolerance for the use, possession and production of chemical weapons,” Foreign Ministry …

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sept. 19 it was essential that a Russia-U.S. deal on eradicating Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal be enforced and that the U.N. Security Council must act on it next week. “The Security Council must be prepared to act next week,” Kerry told reporters. …

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the attack on a convoy of the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) in northern Kosovo earlier today and resulted in the death of one EULEX staff member.

France on Thursday condemned an attack in the troubled northern area of Kosovo earlier in the day in which a policeman from the European Union “Eulex” mission was killed. The area of the incident is a tinderbox where Kosovars and Serbs have frequently clashed in their joint-border region.

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev and Serbian counterpart Tomislav Nikolić agreed on Wednesday that the two countries “need to intensify their relations.” This is especially in terms of economy, the two presidents said, and announced joint sessions of the two governments.

The international community should provide more aid to help Lebanon allocate Syrian refugees, Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Wednesday. “The international community must take its responsibility towards Lebanon, given that the latter has become the first hosting country,” Mikati said.

Several presidents from Africa and elsewhere have arrived in the Malian capital Bamako to participate in the swearing-in ceremony of newly elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. The presidential inauguration is set to take place on Thursday at the March 26 Stadium in Bamako.

The President of the European Commission (EC) Jose Manuel Barroso has reaffirmed his strong position in favour of the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area. Barroso said that both Bulgaria and Romania have met the criteria for Schengen area membership and should be given a chance to enter the zone as soon as possible.