Middle Orient

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen Thursday welcomed the adoption of the UNSC resolution for the elimination of Syrian chemical weapons. Rasmussen called for an international conference to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis. “This is a huge step forward,” he told his monthly press conference at NATO …

The EU will aid Bulgaria in its efforts to deal with the ongoing refugee influx, Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetlin Yovchev said after meeting his colleagues in Luxembourg. Yovchev did not specify on the sum of money Bulgaria is going to receive.

Russia and the United States agreed on how to eliminate chemical weapons in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday after meeting US Secretary of State John Kerry. “We have a common understanding of what needs to be done and how. I am very glad that President (Barack) Obama …

US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday that Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad could take credit for quickly starting the process of destroying his government’s chemical weapons arsenal, and thanked Russia for its help. “The process has begun in record time and we are appreciative for the Russian cooperationand 

Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu Tuesday rejected Syrian claims that Ankara was supporting armed groups affiliated to Al-Qaeda, and allowing them to use Turkish territories to launch attacks on the Syrian regime. “Turkey has never provided any kind of support for these groups, and we do not allow our borders …

EU interior and justice ministers, during their meeting in Luxembourg Tuesday, had an in-depth discussion on Syria with particular reference to the protection of refugees, said the ministers in a statement tonight.

The world’s chemical weapons watchdog has said it will send a second team of inspectors to boost its programme to destroy Syria’s stockpile. The new team of experts, expected to reach Damascus on Wednesday, will expand on the work undertaken

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Syria was “very actively” cooperating with chemical weapons inspectors and suggested that Indonesia join international peace talks on the crisis. “Doubts about whether the Syrian leadership would adequately respond to the

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday night outlined his plan for the establishment of a chemical weapons mission with about 100 experts to destroy Syria’s chemical arsenal. The plan would mark the first time that the UN has carried out such a task in the midst of a civil …

The Director General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ahmet Uzumcu, is expected to give a press conference on Wednesday on the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons. “We had planned to organise this press conference tomorrow, Tuesday, but the event has now been moved back to …