Up to 150 Russians are preparing to flee the bloodshed in Syria over the next two days on board two planes sent to Beirut from Moscow, a Russian diplomat told AFP on Tuesday.

• January 22, 2013

The Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to increase security cooperation between the two countries.

• January 22, 2013

Armenian Defence Minister Seyran Ohanyan would not mind hosting a Russian radar station on its territory, News-Armenia reported.

• January 18, 2013

International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi and envoys from Russia and the United States - backers of opposing sides in Syria's civil war - failed to make a breakthrough in talks on Friday seeking a political solution to the conflict.

• January 15, 2013

The United States sent its top Asian diplomacy and security officials to South Korea and Japan to calm tensions between two U.S. allies whose squabbling has frustrated efforts to deal with a troublesome North Korea and an increasingly assertive China.

• January 15, 2013

Russia has called for political transition in Syria but reiterated that Syrians themselves should decide about the future of their country without outside interference.

• January 12, 2013

Russian and U.S. diplomats plan to hold a meeting with the international mediator for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, on Friday in Geneva, Interfax news agency cited Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov as saying on Wednesday.

• January 11, 2013

Iran today has put forward some preconditions for the future talks regarding country's nuclear program, Mehr agency reported.

• January 9, 2013