Temporary visa, which is introduced by Iran for citizens of Azerbaijan, will be free, the spokesman for the Iranian Embassy in Baku, Abbas Iskenderi, told Trend on Monday.

• August 6, 2012

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that the borders regions between Iran and Pakistan should be the most active ones in terms of trade and commercial transactions, IRNA reported.

• August 6, 2012

A program of Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammadov's visit to Turkey, scheduled for Aug. 9-10 was discussed at a government meeting in Ashgabat, the Turkmen government said on Monday.

• August 6, 2012

A Snapshot of Key Developments in the External Relations of the Russian Gas Sector
By Jack Sharples, EGF Associate Researcher on the external dimensions of Russian gas

Key points:

• Gazprom suffers a setback as the Lithuanian parliament approves construction of an LNG plant at Klaipeda as part of efforts to reduce dependence on Russian gas, but agrees a gas price discount for E.On and extends contract with Moldovgaz, potentially halting Moldova’s implementation of the Third Energy Package
• Mixed fortunes for Gazprom in Turkey as the company wins the right to sell gas to private Turkish energy companies, but suffers a setback with the announcement of a Turkish-Azerbaijani agreement on the construction of the TANAP pipeline
• The Nord Stream project is on schedule for the second string launch in Q4 2012. CEO Alexei Miller suggests that Nord Stream could be extended to the UK
• Macedonia and Respublika Srpska reiterate their enthusiasm for South Stream, but the date of final investment decision and the application of the EU Third Energy Package remain unclear
• Putin meets Yanukovych in Yalta but refuses demands for gas price discount
• More negotiations between Gazprom and CNPC, but with no breakthrough
• Shtokman talks delayed with a result not being expected until autumn 2012
• Gazprom is ranked as the world’s most profitable company by Forbes, but only comes 98th of 105 in transparency rankings according to report by Transparency International
• Novatek begins construction of Sabetta LNG terminal in Yamal region, but claims no threat to Gazprom’s export monopoly
• Rosneft expands its presence in the Russian gas market with an acquisition of a 6 percent stake in independent gas company Itera

• August 6, 2012

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

• Syria is in the grips of a full fledged civil war, with opposition forces assassinating the country’s minister of defense and other high ranking officials in a Damascus meeting of senior regime officials.
• Fighting has escalated near the Turkish-Syrian border. Turkish military units are being deployed as a precaution, especially in light of reports of PKK forces seizing portions of northern Syria.
• Oil exports from the Kurdish region of Iraq to Turkey continues to draw the ire of government officials in Baghdad. However, despite the disputes, cooperation on projects will likely continue.
• Azerbaijan’s energy minister weighed into the NABUCCO West Vs TAP debate, saying the former was the best option for delivering Shah Deniz gas to Europe.

• August 6, 2012

Syria intends to join the Customs Union established by Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, said Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs of Syria Qadri Jamil, APA reports quoting Turkish press.

• August 4, 2012

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi asked Turkey to meditate and involve in releasing 47 Iranian pilgrims whom have been kidnapped by rebels in Syria, IRNA reported.

• August 4, 2012

“The two countries’ officials have decided to help people in Islamic country of Pakistan be provided with Iranian gas as soon as possible,” Larijani told his Pakistani counterpart Nayer Hossein Bokhari.

• August 4, 2012