The Russian elite has decided that it does not care about losing the friendship of the west as long it has its respect. At the moment however it only has the contempt of the rest of the world.

On the occasion of the festival of Novruz the editorial team of commonspace.eu extend our greetings to our readers in Azerbaijan, Iran and Central Asia and wish them happy holidays.

Unrecognised entities in the South Caucasus welcome the Crimean vote as different sides in the unresolved conflicts draw their own conclusions from the current impasse.

The vote came as tension increased on the Crimean peninsula ahead of a sham poll tomorrow aimed at legitimising Russia's annexation of the territory.

The Ukrainian Crisis has already exposed problems in the international system, but for the Commonwealth of Independent States it poses fundamental existential questions.

As Kerry and Lavrov prepare to meet in London in a last minute effort to resolve the crisis over Ukraine, Russia continues with large scale military exercisis on Ukraine's borders.

Diplomats from France, Russia and the US met the Azerbaijani Minister in Paris and his Armenian counterpart in Moscow in a fresh effort to kick-start negotiations.

"We are hopeful that all possible steps are undertaken to find a peaceful settlement in the legal field which will contribute to the decrease of tension and resolution of pending questions."

Far from altruistic reasons have kept Russia, France and the US working together in the Minsk Process format for two decades. Can this process survive the Ukraine crisis?

The visit, the first by a senior EU official for many years, marks a turning point in relations between the European Union and Iran.