Eurasia

The head of the US military’s Africa Command held talks with Tunisia’s Prime Minister Ali Larayedh on security cooperation, notably to stem arms trafficking, the government said Wednesday. The meeting with General David Rodriguez “was an opportunity to discuss the security issue, ways of cooperating and how the United States

Relations between Turkey and Egypt “will be restored soon,” Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Saturday, shortly after Egypt expelled the Turkish ambassador in Cairo. On Thursday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized the Egyptian interim government and condemned the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

The co-leader of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), which declared the establishment of a constituent assembly in the northern parts of Syria locally denominated as Rojava, said they have not held talks with Turkish officials in the recent period. 

At least 29 people were killed on Nov. 23 in Syrian regime air strikes on the northern city of Aleppo and surrounding areas, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The main Western-backed Syrian opposition group says it has sent a delegation to Geneva for consultations ahead of proposed peace talks.

Turkey declared Egypt’s ambassador in Ankara as “persona non grata” in a reciprocal step after Cairo expelled its envoy, according to a statement of the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Saturday. The move comes few hours after Egypt expelled Turkey’s ambassador in Cairo Huseyin Avni Botsali, declaring him “persona non grata.”

Pakistan closed border with Afghanistan in the country’s northwest on Saturday ahead of protest against the American drone strikes, official sources said.

Egypt has told the Turkish ambassador to leave the country and downgraded relations between the two countries. Egypt’s foreign ministry blamed Turkey’s continued “interference” in its country’s internal affairs. Turkey’s diplomatic representation has been lowered to the level of charge d’affaires, the ministry said in a statement. Egypt has already recalled …

1. The Western Balkans area is situated along the main fault line of the Huntington-type “clash of civilizations” in Europe: a) Between Christianity and Islam – resulted in the main Muslim enclave in Europe (Albania + Kosovo) b) Between Western Christianity (Catholic/Protestant) and Orthodoxy – resulting in splitting the Slavic …

In the Balkan region, new geopolitical forces are playing an increasingly role and old actors seem to be losing their influence. The gradual decline of U.S. leadership coincides with the Eurozone recession that makes the EU to be perceived as less disposed to offer to the Balkan states a form …