Eurasia

Russia’s Novatek and China’s Shenergy signed a new gas deal in February 2021, highlighting the primacy of energy ties in China–Russia relations. Under the provisions of the agreement, Novatek will ship around 3 million tonnes a year of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Shenergy’s Shanghai terminals over the next 15 …

zerbaijan has launched two days of joint military exercises with Turkish forces, saying the drills were aimed at “improving interaction” between the two countries’ armed forces. The exercises, announced on April 8, came almost five months after Azerbaijan fought a brief, but successful, war with Armenian forces over the breakaway …

In many respects, Slovakia’s new prime minister, Eduard Heger, appears to be the polar opposite of the person he swapped jobs with – his party leader and now finance minister, Igor Matovic. Given his predecessor presided over one of the least trusted governments in the country’s history, this can only …

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed with the French and German foreign ministers the need for Russia to stop its military buildup in the occupied Crimean Peninsula and near Ukraine’s borders, its “provocations” in eastern Ukraine, and its “inflammatory rhetoric,” according to the State Department. Blinken, French Foreign Minister …

The recent escalation in diplomatic tensions between the U.S., EU, China, and Russia is an unwelcome development for Central Asia. With the recent complicated visit to Moscow by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell marred by aggressive bilateral rhetoric, the White …

Defense Minister Benny Gantz declined to react to the report by The New York Times that Israel was behind the attack yesterday on the Iranian Saviz boat, stating simply that Israel is preparing for threats on all possible fronts. Defense Minister Benny Gantz said this morning Israel would take military …

The USS Eisenhower arrives in the Gulf region as the Biden administration kicks off indirect talks with Iran over its nuclear program. The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier and accompanying destroyers passed through the Suez Canal on Saturday following a weeklong stoppage of traffic through the vital thoroughfare caused …

As international talks to revive a major nuclear agreement with world powers continued in Vienna, Iranian President Hassan Rohani said that he hoped negotiations led to a “renaissance” of the 2015 deal. The day-old talks are U.S. President Joe Biden’s first major effort to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of …

Today marks the unveiling of the name and the official role of the Air Force’s newest fighter, the F-15EX Eagle ll. Lt. Gen. Duke Richardson, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology Logistics military deputy, presented the F-15EX during an unveiling and naming ceremony at …

After Qatar reconciled with its Gulf neighbours at the start of this year, chief among them Saudi Arabia, an almost four-year blockade came to an end. It was perhaps inevitable that talk of reconciliation between Qatar’s ally Turkey and Riyadh would follow. As a precursor to such a warming of …