A new round of energy talks are soon to be held within the larger framework of Russian-Chinese economic cooperation. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Qishan, will discuss the current conditions of and prospects for cooperation in the energy sector, particularly with regard to oil and gas, which have become a major component of Russian-Chinese bilateral relations.

• May 27, 2011

If South Stream is built, Caspian gas would be bought up by Gazprom and shipped via Russia through the Black Sea pipeline, undermining the rationale of the Southern Corridor. It would also have an impact on Ukraine's economy and politics

• May 26, 2011

Royal Dutch Shell will shut its Caspian office for the giant Kashagan oil field at the end of this month, effectively putting the crucial £30bn ($50bn) project on ice for at least two years.

• May 25, 2011

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said he wants to pursue European Union membership for the former Soviet republic that is also being wooed by a Russian-led customs union with the lure of lower natural-gas prices.

• May 25, 2011

Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Fereidoon Abbasi said the Bushehr nuclear power plant would join the national grid soon, semi-official ISNA news agency reported

• May 24, 2011

The fourth trilateral summit held in Tokyo on Sunday expanded cooperation amongst China, Japan, and South Korea and proposed new targets, which injected new vitality into the exchange and cooperation in Northeast Asia.

• May 24, 2011

The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Energy Sector Coordinating Committee (ESCC) is discussing cooperation in Baku.

• May 23, 2011

Russia, which could buy more than $7 billion worth of Belarussian assets as it helps Minsk tackle a currency crisis, expressed opposition Saturday to tougher European sanctions against Belarussian firms.

• May 23, 2011