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Central Asia
Russia and Iran may cancel visa requirements in 2017
Visa requirements for visiting Russia and Iran soon may be dropped, the speaker of Russia’s Federation Council upper parliament house, Valentina Matviyenko, said. She mentioned a recent agreement, which suggested easier visa formalities for certain categories of travelers, and thus the number of trips from Iran to Russia doubled in…
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Central Asia
Russia and Iran in oil swap talks
Tehran is in talks with Russian companies on petroleum swap deals, Iran’s deputy oil minister for international affairs Amirhossein Zamaninia said. “Yes, we are,” he said when asked whether the country is in talks with Russia on swap deals, Financial Tribune reported cting TASS. According to deputy minister, initially the…
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East Asia
The Trump Administration: The Outlook For U.S. Foreign Policy
Richard Giragosian – Director, Regional Studies Center (RSC) For many Americans, and especially for supporters of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, the victory of Donald Trump as the country’s next president was a serious surprise. For many others, and most notably for his vehemently loyal backers, the victory was a refreshing…
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East Asia
High-speed rail deal among 21 signed by China and Russia
Twenty-one agreements were signed between China and Russia on Monday to further promote cooperation in various fields, including on high-speed railways, during Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to St. Petersburg. Li and his Russian counterpart, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, witnessed the signing of the agreements — which also included civil nuclear…
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East Asia
Reflections of the Choi Soon-sil Scandal in Asian Countries
A bizarre scandal about the Korean President Park Geun-hye shakes the South Korean society. Choi Soon-sil, an old friend of the president, allegedly used her connection with Park to extort money from largest corporations as well as abuse of power and corruption activities. President Park Geun-hye apologized recently that she…
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Central Asia
Russia ready to discuss deliveries of air defense systems with Turkey
Russia plans to discuss the issue of deliveries of air defense systems with Turkey, it is on the agenda of the Russian-Turkish military cooperation, the head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Alexander Fomin said on November 7. “When it comes to large air defense system, they can be…
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Central Asia
British military calls Russian T-14 Armata tank ‘most revolutionary tank’
Russia’s new T-14 Armata tank represents “the most revolutionary step change in tank design in the last half century,” says a leaked report of the British military intelligence obtained by The Sunday Telegraph newspaper in London. “Without hyperbole, Armata represents the most revolutionary step change in tank design in the…
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East Asia
China still tops lists of Russian arms importers
China continues to be one of the largest importers of Russian weapons, Sergei Kornev, the head of the delegation of the Russian state-run arms export agency, Rosoboronexport, at the Airshow China 2016 International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, informed TASS. “China has long been one of the major importers of Russian…
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East Asia
N. Korea sounding out labor export to Mongolia
North Korea is seeking ways to export its workers to Mongolia as the central Asian country is recruiting foreign laborers to work at its mines, a U.S. broadcaster, monitored here, said Wednesday. “(As far as I know), the North Korean authorities recently set up ways to make use of its…
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Central Asia
Kyrgyzstan to hold referendum on constitution on December 11
Kyrgyzstan’s parliament approved plans for a national referendum to be held on December 11 on proposed constitutional reforms, parliament’s press office said. The reforms would strengthen the powers of the prime minister. The amendments also include provisions granting more powers to the cabinet and to leaders of parliamentary factions, Reuters…
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