Eurasia

NATO’s top military commander said during a visit to Kiev on Wednesday that Russian forces were still operating in eastern Ukraine, providing the “backbone” to separatist rebels fighting government forces. NATO’s top military commander has also warned that Russia’s “militarisation” of the annexed Crimea region could be used by Moscow to …

Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz and his Russian counterpart Alexander Novak approved a final memorandum agreement which will be signed by heads of states on Dec. 1. Natural gas talks with Russia to secure price discounts for increased supplies from Gazprom to Turkey are in progress, said Turkey’s  energy minister on Wednesday …

NATO is not considering establishing a no-fly zone in northern Syria, something Turkey has been calling for to alleviate security and humanitarian pressure on its southern border, one of the alliance’s top generals said. “A no-fly zone is a resource-intensive undertaking,” Lt.-Gen. John Nicholson, the new head of LANDCOM, said at his …

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will arrive in India on a three-day visit later this month to hold talks with his counterpart Manohar Parrikar during which the issue of the multi-billion dollar deal for Rafale combat aircraft is likely to come up. He will arrive in India on November …

President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and his French Counterpart Francois Hollande agreed to cooperate in efforts to counter terrorism, resolve the Palestinian situation and support the current Iraqi government. In a joint press conference held in Paris, Al-Sisi noted his discussions with Hollande were “fruitful” and reflected unified opinions regarding bilateral, …

Egypt and Emirati military officials have finalised preparations for a joint training exercise between the two countries ongoing for the last few days in Sheik Zayed city in the United Arab Emirates. The joint exercise, dubbed “Righteous Arrows”, aims to “support and strengthen the areas of military cooperation and coordination”. …

US Vice President Joe Biden on Sunday wrapped up a key visit to Turkey without a breakthrough on military co-operation in the Syrian crisis but with officials confident the talks brought their positions closer. During his three-day trip to Istanbul, Biden held several hours of talks with both Turkish President …

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko held talks with Moldovan President Nicolae Timofti and Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski as part of his official visit to Moldova on Thursday, the presidential press service has reported. “The Ukrainian president thanked the Moldovan president for hospitality and the organization of a trilateral meeting and said …

US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, Nisha Desai Biswal, on Monday said that President Barack Obama was looking forward to attend the Republic Day function in New Delhi next year. “He is very much looking forward to it,” Biswal announced.

The US-led coalition continued attacks targeting the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) over the period Friday through Monday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Monday. In Syria over the four days, seven airstrikes near Kobani hit many ISIL fighting positions and staging areas, while other two struck …