The head of a specialized group in the Ecology and Safety department of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Colonel Sergei Zubarevsky,told Hromadske radio that the complete demining of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions affected by the current conflict will take between 10 and 15 years.

“I think that the clearance of the Donbas region will cost more than one billion hryvnia.  Establishing complete safety for citizens of this region can only be achieved in 10 or 15 years,” Zubarevsky said.

On the 5 …

Political and social conflicts are increasing around the world and as conflict escalates, the influence of religion on politics is growing and authoritarian tendencies are intensifying.  This is evidenced by the publication of the Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI) for 2014-2016 on Monday, February, 29th. The BTI is a survey of political and economic developments in 129 developing and transitional countries.

Russia is currently at 81st place in the BTI ranking, dropping four positions …

The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that it is planning to hold a meeting with the Foreign Ministers of Russia and Azerbaijan.

“Soon there will be a trilateral meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan, Iran, and Russia. At this meeting will be discussed issues concerning the realization of the agreements reached at the meeting between Hassan Rouhani [President of Iran] and Ilham Aliyev [President of Azerbaijan],” APA quoted a representative of Iranian Foreign Ministry as …

American company Frontera Resources has found a 5 trillion cubic meter reserve of gas in Georgia, Georgian media reported. The media quoted the President of Frontera Resources, Steve Nicandros, who said that it can take up to 5 years for Georgia to begin exporting gas.

Steve Nicandros stated that this gas will flow to Turkey and the countries of Eastern Europe. Last year, Frontera Resources, which has been working in Georgia since the mid-1990s, came to an agreement with Ukrainian Naftogaz, …

At the opening of the Ukrainian Week in the European Parliament, the European Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, noted the progress made in the area of reforms in Ukraine.  However, he also recognized that Kiev lacks perseverance and that a lot still needs to be done.

Speaking on Monday in Brussels, Hahn called for the continuation of judicial reform.  He also emphasized the importance of fighting against corruption.

“The situation is …

At the UN Security Council session, the British Representative for the United Nations, Matthew Rycroft, reported that Great Britain called on Russia to release all Ukrainians political prisoners, including those who are in Russia and in illegally annexed Crimea, a UNIAN correspondent reported. According to him, there has since been a positive exchange of hostages between Ukraine and militants.

“We called on Russia to release all illegally detained Ukrainians, including those who are in Russia …

The Baltic States are expecting an expansion of NATO troops on their territory, as was stated by the head of the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edgars Rinkēvičs.

In July, at the NATO Summit in Warsaw, the Baltic States will need a “very strong statement” from the alliance that “will stay there until as long as we’ve got such a neighbor [Russia],” he said in an interview with the Washington Post.

According to the Minister, he “is convinced that the NATO Military Contingent staying in the …

The Unites States Ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt stated on the air of ZIK TV that sanctions against Russia can be reviewed only when the Minsk Agreements are fully implemented.

“The President of the United States, Barack Obama, discussed this position in a talk with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. He also noted the special requirement of granting full access to OSCE observers to the whole territory of Ukraine – up to the internationally recognized borders. Now, there is nothing …