Transport
International Organizations
Astana SCO Summit reaffirms its growing geopolitical role
The 24th summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), chaired by Kazakhstan, took place on July 4...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Uzbekistan: A Key Player in the (Central Asian) Great Game
Uzbekistan has had considerable success in attracting billions of dollars of aid, concessional debt, and co-investment, which has helped transform the economy since 2017....
Transport
Trans-Caspian International Transport Route platform launched in Astana
In a major step forward for regional transport coordination, Kazakhstan’s capital Astana hosted the launch June 12 of a new coordination platform for the...
Europe & Eurasia
EU-Central Asia discuss security challenges, joint cooperation
The European Union and the five Central Asian Deputy Foreign Ministers discussed common security challenges and joint cooperation to deepen ties between the two...
Kazakhstan
U.S.-Kazakhstan Enhanced Strategic Partnership Dialogue deepens political and economic ties
The sixth annual United States-Kazakhstan Enhanced Strategic Partnership Dialogue (ESPD) was held in Washington D.C. on May 31.The U.S.-Kazakhstan Enhanced Strategic Partnership Dialogue was...
Interviews
Interview: EU and Turkmenistan are getting closer
NE Global sat down exclusively with Sapar Palvanov, Ambassador of Turkmenistan to the Kingdom of Belgium, also accredited as the head of the Mission...
China
Xi challenges a divided Europe
After the May 5-9 visit of President Xi Jinping to Europe most of the political analysts in Brussels who argued that the Chinese President's...
Development Assistance
Outline for Luzon Economic Corridor takes shape
While most headlines from the Indo-Pacific Business Forum held on May 21 in Taguig, just outside Manila, focused on the latest official data concerning...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
COP 29: Azerbaijan takes the spotlight
The next global climate conference, COP 29, will occur in November in Baku, Azerbaijan. The gathering is essential to continue discussing and developing strategies...
Transport
The Schengen Zone expands conditionally, for air and sea travelers
Europe’s passport-free Schengen Zone took an important step forward on March 31 with the partial inclusion of Romania and Bulgaria. Travelers arriving in the...
Sanctions and related policies
U.S. zeroes in on Houthi revenue sources
The U.S. Government made several announcements this month regarding new sanctions on Houthi revenue sources, building on steps taken in coordination with the U.K....
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Can Innovation Diplomacy End the Climate Gamble?
With today’s global challenges urging equally global responses, an overlooked subset of diplomacy emerges as potentially pivotal: innovation diplomacy, a discipline related to the...
Terrorism
Washington strongly condemns Houthi attacks on shipping
The U.S. State Department issued a strongly worded condemnation of Houthi attacks on international shipping on February 21st, equating many Houthi attacks with piracy.Washington...
Oil & Gas
Alexandroupolis LNG Terminal going live after test runs
The Gastrade consortium confirmed on February 18 the long anticipated Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) terminal at Alexandroupolis in Greece’s province of Thrace has received...
Transport
Investors Forum brings the Middle Corridor into EU-wide focus
Huge investment numbers were thrown around in Brussels January 29-30 at the Global Gateway Investors Forum for the European Union – Central Asia Transport...
Columns
Record-high American LNG exports reinforce EU energy security drive
US liquefied natural gas, or LNG, exports reportedly hit monthly and annual record highs in December, positioning the United States to potentially become the...
Environment
Spare a thought for the environment this Christmas
In the run up to the festive season many people will be travelling by plane to visit family and friends. Spending time with loved...
Development Assistance
New DFC commitments to maritime infrastructure projects
The US recently announced two major commitments to funding maritime infrastructure and related commercial projects, one in Sri Lanka and another in Greece through...
Transport
Kazakhstan accelerating efforts to expand the strategic Middle Corridor
The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, which is frequently referred to as the Middle Corridor, is a multilateral institutional development project linking the containerized rail...
Economy & Business
Central Asia’s leaders get into specifics on trade-boosting initiatives
In the collective daydreams of Central Asian presidents, there is no end to the possibilities for regional integration.The ideas came thick and fast at...
Energy
European aviation industry embraces new jet fuel regulation
The European Parliament on September 13 approved a new law to increase the uptake of sustainable fuels, such as advanced biofuels or hydrogen, in...
Africa
Nairobi Declaration calls for global tax on fossil fuel trade, maritime transport, aviation
As the curtains came down at the Africa Climate Summit (ACS23), heads of state and government adopted the Nairobi Declaration, calling on world leaders...
Agriculture & Food Security
Possible new solutions to Ukraine’s grain export challenge emerge
In view of the collapse of the UN’s Black Sea Grain Initiative in July at Russia’s insistence, work is proceeding in multiple sectors to...
The Negroni Diaries
Strange goings on in Northern Greece seem to worry Ankara
Government-linked Turkish media have indicated concern about a series of visits and events in Greece’s Evros prefecture -- the Greek-Turkish border region -- which...
Croatia
Croatia advances to the EU mainstream
Croatia took a decisive step January 1 towards the mainstream of the European project by adopting the Euro as its currency while at the...
Transport
Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkey focus on Trans-Caspian International Transport Route
Strengthening regional connectivity, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkey focused on the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, which is of crucial importance for increasing...
Transport
Aktau becomes Kazakhstan’s first port to receives Green Certification from OSCE
Aktau Commercial Sea Port has become the first port in Kazakhstan to receive the Ports Environmental Assessment System (SEEP) certification and EcoPort status from...
Transport
EU interested in developing transport and transit cooperation with Kazakhstan
An international forum in Brussels highlighted the role of strengthening of trade and supply chains between Europe and Asia through the expansion and integration...
Transport
EU-Kazakhstan to discuss transit strategy and Middle Corridor development
The first major discussion in Brussels on Kazakhstan’s transit strategy and the development of the Middle Corridor will take place in Brussels, Belgium on...
Bulgaria
Sofia and Skopje begin joint effort to resolve conflict
Hoping to generate enough material to prevent Sofia’s cadre of Balkan reporters from decamping to nearby ski resorts, the governments of North Macedonia and...
Belgium
Spanish scheme to support intelligent transportation systems gets EU nod
A €20 million Spanish scheme made available through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) supporting the deployment of intelligent systems that will provide enhanced...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
New railway agreements reveal the contours of Central Asia’s rapid integration
The information war is so intense nowadays that unsung melodies are often more alluring that the sung ones. The lines from English poet Shelley’s...
Archive
Commission proposes to ease restrictions on non-essential travel to the EU
Almost 15 months after Europe effectively closed its borders to the outside world in its efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19, the European...
Afghanistan
Uzbekistan’s key priorities for the comprehensive development of transport corridors in Central Asia
Over the past 4 years, Uzbekistan under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has been carrying out systemic reforms aimed at liberalizing and modernizing...
Archive
With Covid-19 travel restrictions, US takes a further step towards isolation
While having not completely terminated international travel, the US took a major step in that direction on March 19 with the issuance of a...
Albania
Amidst crises, Greece finds time for renewed Balkan diplomacy
Despite the multiple crises Greece is currently facing – a continuing refugee deluge and massive public reaction on some islands, the spreading coronavirus threat,...
Archive
Austria's new night train sets off for Brussels
The first night train to set off for Belgium in 16 years departed from Vienna on 19 January.
Austrian and European politicians boarded the “OBB...
Archive
Less than half of EU travellers are aware of passenger rights
The European Commission published on Monday the results of an Eurobarometer survey on passenger rights in the European Union, which found that only 43% of...
Archive
Climate Action: EIB finances 40 new electric trains in Italy
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has provided a €68 million loan to Ente Autonomo Volturno (EAV), Campania Region's railway management authority, to purchase 40...
Africa
Greece, Cyprus, Jordan cement East Med Gas Forum relationship
ATHENS – The leaders of Greece, Cyprus and Jordan will hold a trilateral summit in Amman on 14 April to expand cooperation in the...
Analysis
New legislation energizes US policy in the Eastern Mediterranean
Important new bipartisan legislation has been introduced by two ranking US Senators to reshape and energize US strategy in the Eastern Mediterranean, taking into...
Analysis
Tsipras heads to Skopje to salvage his Prespes gambit
Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is set to deliver on his promised trip to North Macedonia’s capital, Skopje, on 2 April, which was announced...
Analysis
Name Dispute: Coming to terms
The Name Dispute has again fallen from the headlines in Northern Macedonia and Greece, as the public focus in Skopje is on April’s Presidential...
Analysis
Name Dispute: A time for kudos, awards and arrests
Now that the ratification procedures for June’s Prespes Agreement between Greece and newly-renamed North Macedonia are complete, the focus has shifted to a wide-ranging...
Archive
Amidst backtracking, a difficult week in the Greece-Macedonia/FYROM Name Talks
While a few positive steps can be listed, real progress over the last week on the Greece-Macedonia/FYROM Name Dispute is hard to document. To...