Ukraine is holding negotiations in the Geneva Plus format for the de-occupation of Crimea with the international community involving participation from the EU, US and signatories from the Budapest Memorandum using the 'Geneva Plus' format.

As the President of Ukraine stated on March 18 on his Facebook page, "over the last two years, there have been mass arrests and repressions in Crimea. The rights of the Crimean Tatars are cynically violated. The behavior of Crimean occupants is becoming more …

The leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Alexander Zakharchenko, reported on Friday on the separatists' website that it is impossible to hold elections under Ukrainian law on the territory of the Donbass region.

"We have insisted and continue to insist that the elections in the Republic should be held according to the international standards of the OSCE. Such international standards suit us and Europe as well as all the world community, which completely fits the …

A large number of foreigners have been in the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine for various reasons and with different motives. Human rights expert Patricia Arias, a member of the UN Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries said at a briefing in Kiev that the representatives of the organization came to that conclusion as a result of their visit to Ukraine, as reported by Ukrinform.

"Motivation for taking part in the armed conflict in Ukraine is diverse. The Working Group received information …

The Press Service of the Armenian Defense Ministry announced on Friday that Armenia is ready to respect the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire, if Azerbaijan responds positively to the call of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman, Andrzej Kasprzyk, reported Interfax-Ukraine.

"Answering the call of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman we claim that the Armenian Armed Forces are ready to strictly comply with the ceasefire on the borders of Armenia and will not take any steps that …

Canada imposed additional sanctions on ten Russian companies and two Russian citizens. This information was posted on the website of the Government of Canada on Friday, March 18th.

The Canadian sanctions list includes Inserbank, Mosoblbank, Volgogradneftemash, Izhevsk Mechanical Plant (IMZ), Izhmash, Tekhnopromexport, Tehmash, Roselektroniks, the holding company Schwabe that is a part of Rostec, and Tekhnopromexport.

The Deputy CEO of Kalashnikov, Edward Joffe, and Chief Export Officer …

The Minister of Defense of Lithuania, Juozas Olekas, approved a new military strategy in which Russian actions are described as the main threat for the security of Lithuania, as reported by Delfi."The military strategy of 2012 did not correspond to the realities of defense and the new challenges to the Lithuanian army. On the basis of Ukrainian and Georgian experience, the Lithuanian army should be prepared to respond quickly to military threats, either on its own or together with allies," …

During a UN Security Council meeting regarding compliance with human rights in the Crimea, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid al-Hussein mentioned that the situation in the Crimea remains critical and requires constant monitoring by the international community, as stated by the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

The restriction of civil and political rights of Crimean residents, the lack of freedom of expression, and the atmosphere of intolerance are of particular concern …

Kyrgyz authorities have suspended entry for Uzbek citizens at three border checkpoints between the two countries after Uzbekistan mobilized dozens of soldiers, two military trucks, and two armored personnel carriers along a disputed section of the border near Ala-Buka on March 18th, Radio Svoboda reported.

Kyrgyz and Uzbek authorities have initiated talks to reopen the border.

Many areas along the borders in Central Asia remain in dispute since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Along …