On the eve of his expected return to the Presidency of Russia Vladimir Putin has published a wide ranging article on foreign policy in which he outlines his views on Russia's role in the world including a vision of a Europe stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
The people of Azerbaijan are today marking the 20th anniversary of the massacre in Khojaly. According to author Tom de Waal it was the worst episode of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorny Karabakh and resulted in the death of 400 Azerbaijanis, mainly civilians
An agreement between Serbia and Kosovo brokered by the European Union opens the way for Serbia's membership to the EU. Many see lessons in this agreement for the situation in Karabakh.
Recalling the Battle of Borradino, and quoting Lermontov, Russian Prime Minister Putin told tens of thousands of cheering supporters of " a new battle for Russia".