Russia and Ukraine are strongly determined to resume the full-scale process of political settlement of the Transnistrian problem, Russian Federation’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov stated at a news conference following his meeting with his Ukrainian colleague, Minister of Foreign Affairs Konstantin Grishenko, in Odessa (Ukraine) this past weekend.

Serbian PM Mirko Cvetković met in Nicosia today with Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias during a visit “intended to improve relations between the two counties”. Cvetković laid a wreath at the statue of former Cypriot President Archbishop Makarios III.

Turkey says it opposes the candidacy of Austria’s former foreign minister to become the next secretary general of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Turkey’s foreign ministry said Saturday it can’t support Ursula Plassnik because she opposes Turkey’s bid to become a full member of the European Union. …