U.S.Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Patrick Moon, and Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Mehdi Akhonzadeh spoke within minutes of one another at the SCO's Special Conference on Afghanistan.

VOA: standard.2009.03.27

Allowed to come back to Kazakhstan in 2005, Mr Aliyev's return to favour seemed assured when he was appointed deputy minister of foreign affairs.

ECONOMIST: Nursultan Nazarbayev won��t tolerate rivals

Ms Bokova has served as Bulgaria's Minister and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and as candidate to the post of Vice President of Bulgaria, she advocated her country's membership in NATO and the European Union.

UNESCO: Irina Bokova of Bulgaria elected as UNESCO's 10th Director General

In 2001-2003, she was UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Administration, before being appointed First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, responsible for Russians abroad and cultural action.

UNESCO: MEDIA SERVICES