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PRAGUE, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) — The changes instituted in European Union (EU) as a result of the Lisbon Treaty have created conditions for improving the efficiency of 27-member bloc.

Such was the main idea from an international conference held on Friday in Czech capital Prague to mark first anniversary of Lisbon Treaty entering into force.

All institutions of the EU were strengthened, and there exist dynamics leading to improving of EU\’s position, Czech first deputy foreign minister Jiri Schneider said at the conference.

\”The new rules helped improve the atmosphere of negotiations,\” said Stefan Fule, Czech Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy. \”Limiting of the veto power led to positive changes of negotiation tactics.\”

However, the commissioner also stressed that the treaty is just an framework that needs to be filled by new content.

\”The loser was the rotating presidency,\” Richard Corbett, member of the cabinet of European Council President Van Rompuy said, adding that such change led to improvement of the work, as formerly the heads of the council had only six months time to finish their tasks and they could be replaced during their terms as a result of domestic elections.

Corbett pointed out there exist some misunderstanding in the world who is the real head of EU, European Commission President Jos Manuel Barroso or European Council President Herman Van Rompuy.

\”One day there will be single presidency,\” Corbett predicted.

The main challenge standing before EU is the need to solve new problems, especially the solution of monetary problems of some member countries, according to some experts who attended the conference.

\”A year ago, we could not expect that a new crisis will appear soon,\” Jiri Schneider said.

\”Nobody expected we would have to learn so much,\” Stefan Fule added.

The international conference, titled \”The First year of the Lisbon Treaty — New Rules for the European Chessboard,\” attracted more than 100 officials and experts respectively from the institutions of the EU, and think tanks, including EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy.

PANAMA CITY, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) — Spain is sending 15 tons of humanitarian aid to flood-stricken Venezuela, the Panama-based Spain Humanitarian Logistic Center (CLH) for Latin America announced Wednesday.

The aid cargo, including food, blankets, mattresses and cleaning articles and others, will arrive in Venezuela on Thursday, and will be distributed to more than 100,000 victims of heavy rains and landslides, it said in a statement. The delivery was delayed for one day due to technical problems and bad weather.

The aid will be mainly distributed in the impoverished zones of Caracas as well as Merida, Nueva Esparta, Trujillo, Vargas and Miranda states.

CLH was created in 2007 to provide disaster relief for the Americas.

TBILISI, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) — Azerbaijan on Tuesday announced a plan to build a 3-billion-U.S. dollar new pipeline to boost the country\’s exports of natural gas.

BP Azerbaijan President Rashid Javanshir told the media that a 400-km pipeline would be built to run to the country\’s border with Georgia where it will join the existing South Caucasus pipeline to beef up the natural gas exporting capability of the country by an additional 16 billion cubic meters a year.

The new pipeline is planned to facilitate the full-scale development of Azerbaijan\’s largest offshore natural gas field at Shah Deniz, which is estimated to have a reserve of between 50 billion and 100 billion cubic meters of gas.

The Shah Deniz gas field, discovered in 1999, has produced some 7 billion cubic meters of gas. The field also contains some 400 million cubic meters of gas condensates.

Upon completion of the new pipeline, the gas field is expected to export 24 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year.

BP and Statoil are currently the largest shareholders of the Shah Deniz offshore project, each with 25.5 percent of the shares while NICO, SOCAR, Total and LukAgip each hold 10 percent. TPAO holds 9 percent of the shares.

ANKARA, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) — Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is expected to visit the United States on Saturday amid discussions that Turkey\’s foreign policy has shifted axis, Turkish sources said on Friday.

In a bid to remove Washington\’s doubts on Turkey\’s foreign policy perspective, Davutoglu is set to talk with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and representatives of the U.S. Congress, focusing on such issues as the U.S.-led missile shield project of NATO, Iran\’s nuclear program, the sources who asked not to be named said.

According to the source, the two sides are also expected to discuss the Turkish-Israeli relations. Tensions between them flared in May 2010 when Israel attacked a Turkish ship, part of a flotilla attempting to break the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip. Nine activists were killed in the operation.

During the visit, Davutoglu will also meet with U.S. National Security adviser Tom Donilon and other politicians like House Democrat leader Steny Hoyer and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry.

Meanwhile, the Turkish foreign minister is expected to receive the Foreign Policy\’s \”Top 100 Global Intellectuals\” award, the sources added.

By Xie Rong, Liu Xiang, Shao Xinlian

BEIJING, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin Friday in Berlin to discuss mainly Putin\’s initiative to create the Free Trade Area (FTA) with Europe.

Analysts believed that Russia\’s initiative at this moment aimed to make maximum efforts to expand trade with foreign partners once it becomes a WTO member, push forward its modernization process and pave the way for its \”integration into Europe.\”

A country with special relations with Russia, Germany has witnessed mixed responses at home to the Russian initiative. However, observers said there are generally more skeptics than supporters.

RUSSIA: FOR INTEREST OF ITSELF

The German daily Suddeutsche Zeitung Thursday published Putin\’s article, in which he set forth a long-term program to develop economic cooperation with the EU, especially to create a harmonious economic community with the EU, in order to lay the foundation for an FTA in the future.

Putin suggested that Russia and the EU should adopt the same industrial policies, adding that the EU should establish an equal and balanced relationship with regard to the energy supply, consumption and transportation.

He also suggested that Russia and the EU keep close cooperation to maintain their leading status in science and education worldwide, and that the two sides abolish the visa system.

Analysts said that Putin\’s initiative is not only intending to meet the practical needs of Russia\’s economic development and modernization, but also to pave the way for its \”integration into Europe.\”

There are three reasons. Firstly, under the heavy impact of the global economic crisis, Russia needs to broaden cooperation with the European economies which are relatively complementary with Russia, in order to get more funds, technologies and experience for management.

Secondly, Russia is considering multilateral cooperation within the framework of the WTO, as well as the new forms and framework to cooperate with the European economies, in order to make the best use of its possible WTO membership to develop its own economy.

Thirdly, as the biggest energy supplier of the EU, Russia in recent years has been locked in disputes with the EU over the energy supply and cooperation among energy enterprises. To deepen their energy cooperation will undoubtedly help both sides to dispel misunderstanding and promote communication, which will be good for Russia to achieve a closer relationship with the EU.

GERMANY: MORE SKEPTICS THAN SUPPORTERS

However, Putin\’s plan did not receive warm response from Germany. Merkel still had a cautious attitude to the program.

At the meeting with Putin, she said Germany appreciates Russia\’s ideas of an FTA, however, Russia\’s policy on customs and its customs union set up with Belarus and Kazakhstan will be an obstacle for the FTA.

A German official wrote in the daily Die Stuttgarter Zeitung that free trade needs the protection of law, and should be built on the basis of investment security and common values. For a Russia-EU FTA, these standards are not met yet.

However, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle hailed Putin\’s initiative. He said that Germany supports Russia\’s entry into the WTO, and also backs the negotiations over the Russia-EU FTA.

Some German media insisted that Putin\’s plan is a new thought about the framework for a united Russia-EU economy, which was of the same importance with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev\’s initiative on a new European security structure that he promoted last year.

LONG WAY TO GO

Putin\’s initiative covers bilateral economy and trade, energy, scientific cooperation. He chose Germany as a \”breakthrough point\” to make the plan take hold more smoothly in the EU and with less time.

As a big and important European country, Germany has kept a closer cooperation with Russia in both the economic and political fields.

However, analysts predicted that the way to reach a Russia-EU FTA will be long and bumpy. One reason is that Russia and the European countries have different values, and there are big gaps between the two sides in the development of their economy, technology and society.

The other reason is that it will take the 27-member EU a considerably long time to study and accept the initiative. If new disputes appear in the cooperation between Russia and the EU over security and politics, it will undoubtedly slow down the process of their economic integration.

by Igor Serebryany, Hai Yang, Zheng Haoning

MOSCOW, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday surprisingly made child care a core topic of his third annual address to the Federal Assembly, or the two houses of the Russian parliament, saying taking care of children should become the state\’s number one task.

Talking about the future of coming generations has been seen by analysts as a sign for Medvedev to eye the 2012 presidential election.

STAYING IN POLITICS AFTER 2012

Some 40 minutes out of Medvedev\’s 75-minute speech were entirely devoted to the topic, during which he stressed that the state must do everything to ensure children\’s happiness.

According to presidential aide Arkady Dvorkovich, Medvedev hand-picked the children issue to be included in his address as early as August.

Stressing the importance of the issue, the Russian president made a series of proposals, including improving children\’s healthcare and education system, financially aiding families with several children, and punishing crimes targeting minors.

Analysts said it was unusual for Medvedev to give so much emphasis to the children issue.

\”This is a sign of Medvedev\’s intentions to stay in politics beyond 2012, because these problems cannot be resolved in the near future,\” said Yelena Yatsenko, head of Moscow\’s Eurasia Heritage think-tank.

Although Medvedev did not utter a single word about his personal plans after his current term in the Kremlin expires, \”it was clear that in order to fulfill his plans he would need at least five or seven years more in active service,\” Yatsenko told Xinhua.

Alexander Sharavin, director of Moscow\’s Political and Military Analysis Institute, echoed her view.

\”This is remarkable that Medvedev addressed the problems of middle- and long-term nature, like child-care, demography, reforming judicial systems. This is a kind of hint that he is going to supervise those problems\’ solving for longer than his current term permits. Otherwise, all the things he said will remain just a wishful thinking,\” Sharavin said.

DEPICTING BRIGHT FUTURE FOR RUSSIA

Apart from the children issue, Medvedev, as predicted, also touched upon modernizing Russia\’s economy and army, rendering a friendly business climate, and a just judicial system, and boosting international cooperation.

Medvedev addressed aspects of modernization several times, demanding that at least 50 percent of the saved budget funds should be spent on modernization.

The president also urged lawmakers to introduce fines instead of imprisonment for economic crimes, and proposed a so-called \”environmental amnesty\” to companies ready to compensate for damage done to the environment.

He said Russian authorities should divest themselves of properties that have no direct relationship with their immediate responsibilities, and promised small businesses would get a two-year grace period on the mandatory insurance tax rate.

\”Hopefully, this part of the presidential address will not remain on paper, because these proposals need no money to be implemented. This is only a matter of how sincerely the state officials and lawmakers share the president\’s approach to the problems he mentioned,\” Sharavin said.

\”Everybody in Russia has been tired of endless words about bright future, and everybody wants to hear what the authorities are going to do now. In this regard, the parliament\’s reaction to Medvedev\’s address showed he and the lawmakers were like-minded people,\” Yatsenko said.

She added that applause during Medvedev\’s speech has raised hopes the legislative and executive powers are united in their vision on Russia\’s future.

FURTHER EXPANDING ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY

In line with the Russian Constitution, the president\’s annual address to the Federal Assembly should focus on Russia\’s domestic situation and key areas of its foreign policy.

In this year\’s address, Medvedev connected the success of the country\’s modernization to its diplomacy, saying that foreign policy must bring particular fruits for Russia\’s citizens, such as cheaper goods and visa-free regime.

In particular, the president mentioned Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Kazakhstan, China and Ukraine as the country\’s main partners.

He said Moscow foresaw the creation of a common economic space for all Eurasia \”from the Arctic to the Pacific.\”

He said more than 640 billion U.S. dollars would be allocated for army and navy modernization and creation of the structures for military and double-purpose research.

\”This is a very important part of Medvedev\’s address, because up to now the money allocated to military industry never made use for any non-military needs. Hopefully, now those huge funds will participate in development of nonmilitary sectors, too,\” Sharavin said.

As to the prospects of cooperation with other countries in jointly countering missile threats, Medvedev said that in the next 10 years \”either we reach an agreement on missile defense and create a fully-fledged joint mechanism of cooperation, or if we fail to do so, a new round of arms race will start.\”

BELGRADE, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) — Hungarian President Viktor Orban on a state visit to neighboring Serbia on Friday offered his country\’s continued support for Belgrade\’s efforts to become a member of the European Union.

Meeting with Serbian President Boris Tadic and Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic, Orban confirmed Hungary\’s strategy of facilitating the European accession process for the entire West Balkan region, which includes Serbia. Hungary is scheduled to assume the rotating presidency of the EU from Belgium on January 1, 2011.

\”We have a common future and our two countries do not have different perspectives,\” said Orban. \”Before Serbia are 10 fantastic future years and the EU is our common future.\”

Orban explained that the priorities for Serbia were economic growth, job creation and social inclusion, particularly with respect to ethnic minorities.

Serbian President Tadic said Serbia was working toward candidacy of the EU in 2011, and stressed that Hungary\’s support for the EU aspirations of Serbia was appreciated.

\”Viktor Orban is an old friend of Serbia, and my personal friend and he supports our European integration,\” stated Tadic.

He also indicated that although the historical relationship between Hungary and Serbia has had its \”ups and downs,\” the \” overall bilateral cooperation between the two countries is good.\” He said the Serbian and Hungarian peacekeeping commitment to Cyprus was an example of cooperation in the sphere of defense.

After his meeting with the visiting Orban, Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said much more needed to be done in the area of trade. Although a 30 percent increase between the two countries had been recorded in the previous year, the actual volume of trade remains low.

Cvetkovic stressed that the talks on the improvement of relations between the two countries included several topics, among which are Serbia\’s EU integration, Serbia-Hungary cooperation at the regional level, economic cooperation and minority issues.

Cvetkovic underscored that Hungary offered to help Serbia on its EU pathway, adding that he and Orban discussed the possibility of creating a direct line between the two governments so that certain issues could be addressed in the shortest possible period.

The Hungarian prime minister said that both governments should seek to eliminate obstacles to the development of economic cooperation. He said that Hungary regards Serbia as a country with good economic prospects with all of the necessary conditions for growth.

BRUSSELS, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) — The European Council President Herman Van Rompuy reaffirmed Tuesday in Libya the EU\’s support in strengthening peace and security in Africa.

EU and African leaders are gathering in Tripoli, Libya on the occasion of the third EU-Africa summit, to discuss the way to improve investment, economic growth and employment as well as global issues such as peace, security and climate change.

\”Peace and security are key elements in EU-Africa cooperation,\” Van Rompuy said at a statement available at EU\’s website.

\”I would like to reconfirm the EU\’s commitment and determination to support sustainable peace and security in Africa,\” he said.

The president confirmed that the financing of peace-keeping operations in Africa would remain one of the bloc\’s priorities.

He also underlined the importance of stabilizing countries such as Somalia and Sudan, and of tackling transnational threats such as terrorism and piracy, including in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel.

Finally, Van Rompuy stressed the need to support vulnerable groups affected by arms conflicts, in particular women and children.

\”I confirm the EU\’s support to women\’s participation in the efforts to establish sustainable peace and security,\” he concluded.

ASTANA, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) — The seventh summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe opened here Wednesday to seek more effective collective ways to deal with various security challenges.

\”This summit is a sign of the rebirth of the organization,\” Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev said.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on member states to work out a \”forward-looking framework for action\” to fulfil the bloc\’s founding principles.

\”It can be effective only if participating states back its institutions and missions with political will,\” she said.

It was the first time that an OSCE summit was held in a Central Asian country.

The event has gathered 38 heads of state, one vice president, seven prime ministers and 14 other ministers or top governmental officials from member states, in addition to representatives from 12 other partner states, according to an OSCE announcement.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai were attending the summit.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko were also attending the event.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy were also in Astana.

The OSCE is based in Vienna with 56 participating states from Europe, Central Asia and North America. It also maintains formal relations with a number of partner states in Asia and the Mediterranean.

Kazakhstan holds the rotating chair of the organization this year.

BELGRADE, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) — Heavy rains have swollen most of the rivers in the Western Balkans, with the most critical region being along the River Drina, which marks the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, reported Radio Sarajevo on Thursday.

Floods have been reported in and around the Bosnian towns of Zenica, Bihac, Mostar and Sarajevo, but communities along the length of the Drina are most threatened by the surging water levels.

Evacuations are being conducted in Gorazde where the Drina burst its banks and has flooded the town center. A state of emergency has been declared in Foca, where more than 1,000 homes were without electricity overnight due to flooding, and in Bijeljina, where the occupants of 200 homes were relocated due to the rising water.

Across the river in Serbia, communities downriver of the Perucac hydro electrical dam near the town of Banja Basta are awaiting the next wave of rising water on the Drina. The flow of water at the dam is said to be 11 times greater than normal. An estimated 600 homes in Serbia are currently threatened by the flood waters.