Syrian forces bombarded towns in the northern province of Aleppo on Saturday, as the conflict spilled into neighbouring Lebanon and opposition representatives in France welcomed the defection of a general who was close to President Bashar al-Assad.

• July 7, 2012

Turkey's state-owned Electricity Transmission Company (TEİAS) signed an agreement with European Energy Exchange to establish energy exchange in Turkey.

• July 7, 2012

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev on the 72th birthday over phone on Friday. In the telephone conversation Putin and Nazarbayev also discussed preparation for the bilateral cooperation forum of the two countries which will take place in September, Russian presidential press-service reported.

• July 6, 2012

Russian-Tajikistan relations are becoming strained over Russia’s military base on the territory of the Central Asian Republic. Moscow accused the Tajik government of demanding unacceptable conditions to renew the lease on the No. 201 military base and suspended its funding. Tajikistan called Russian stance politically inappropriate, Kommersant reported.

• July 6, 2012

President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan will visit Korea in September, for a summit with President Lee Myung-bak. They will discuss issues of mutual concern, according to visiting Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov, Friday.

• July 6, 2012

Insights into Turkish Domestic and International Politics during June 2012 Key Points:

• Syria shoots down a Turkish military plane, greatly heightening tensions between the countries.
• Although Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan threatens action in response to any further threats from Syria, domestic opinion polls from just prior to the incident show a Turkish public hesitant to confront the Assad regime.
• Meanwhile, the CHP and AKP party leadership meets in an attempt to revive reconciliation efforts with the country’s Kurdish minority.
• As constitution discussions continue, Erdogan’s statements on the necessity of a strong presidential office worries his critics who fear he will take over and extend his reign as head of the country following the end of his term as prime minister.
• In the energy sector, Azerbaijan and Turkey appear to have finalized the TANAP pipeline agreement while Turkish Energy Minister, Taner Yildiz, discusses the future of nuclear power in Turkey at the World Economic Forums.

• July 6, 2012

A Snapshot of Key Developments in the External Relations of the Russian Gas Sector1 Key points:

• Gazprom Chairman of Board of Directors Viktor Zubkov and CEO Alexei Miller retain their positions as the Gazprom Annual General Shareholders Meeting elects a new Board of Directors and approves record dividends of 8.97 Roubles per share
• Gazprom’s Annual General Shareholders Meeting also approves Gazprom’s Annual Report 2011, which marks a record-breaking year for additions to gas reserves, sales revenues, net profits, and investment in the gasification of Russia’s regions
• The first string of Nord Stream reaches full capacity. Construction of the second string was completed in April, with deliveries scheduled to begin in October

• July 6, 2012

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, at the 14th Central Asia Media Conference which opened today in Ashgabat, called upon the authorities in Central Asia to ensure that the Internet is a free and open space and to guarantee freedom of the media and expression online, the organization reported on Thursday.

• July 5, 2012