ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Astana, Kazakhstan © AP Photo/Sergei Grits A new meeting on the Syrian crisis will be held in Astana on February 6, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Anuar Zhainakov said on Thursday, according to the Kazinform news agency. “The decision on setting up a mechanism for monitoring the ceasefire was made at the Astana meeting on Syria held on January 23-24,” Zhainakov said. The Joint Operational Group will focus on issues related to the separation of the moderate Syrian opposition from Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra). The implementation of the ceasefire regime across Syria will be another important topic. Earlier this week Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that the ceasefire agreement is open to all those who may wish to join it, excepting Jabhat Fatah al-Sham and ISI. The statement was made after the fourth session of the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum.

Original by Yuriy “yurasumy” Podolyaka published at Naspravdi ; translation from Russian by J.Hawk On February 1, combat operations in Avdeyevka’s vicinity have continued with previous intensity. Neither side undertook active offensive operations, but that was more than made up for by the stepped up artillery bombardments which became more intense and targeted more territory. One also notes an intense process of concentrating forces by both sides which, judging by the situation, are ready to undertake far more intense operations once given an order… The humanitarian situation in Avdeyevka In spite of the short-term ceasefire and efforts to restore electricity to the city, the humanitarian situation is continuing to deteriorate. There is no light, heat is almost gone (fortunately the coke plant is still supplying heat in some form, but very irregularly). The population, mainly women and children, is gradually leaving the city on their own initiative (general evacuation has not been

SouthFront is launching a new graphic series aimed to describe and evaluate the military balance in the Asia Pacific. Our team has already spent a lot of time analysing the modern situation in the region ( please, look for more info here ) and we believe the new series will allow you to understand better this crucial part of the ongoing global geopolitical standoff. The first graphic of the series provides a general look at the naval power of China, the United States, Japan and Australia in the region. Click to see the full-size map

France plans to build a new aircraft carrier, but already meets some difficulties in its design. The Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier (Photo: Sipa Press) France has plans to build its second aircraft carrier, which will become a part of the future French President’s program, the French L’Opinion newspaper reported. According to the newspaper, the new vessel’s preliminary design, which will cost about €100 million per year, can be started during the next five years. Some experts believe that the aircraft carrier’s construction will be begun in 2020, and the vessel will be totally ready by 2035. However, the exact time limits are still unclear. As L’Opinion noted the new ship will replace the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier. At the same time, it is possible that at the moment of entering into service of the new vessel, there will be two nuclear aircraft carriers in the French fleet. It is highly likely that the new ship will be built in Saint-Nazaire, but not in Brest, where its pr