Russian Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov will visit Tajikistan on Aug.9, CA-News reported on Tuesday. Antonov will hold a number of meetings with Tajik defence officials.

• August 7, 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

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

Today, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for African and Arab countries Hossein Amir Abdollahian went on a visit to Moscow, the agency MEHR reported on Friday.

• August 3, 2012

A sea agreement was signed in Moscow, following a meeting of Russian-Turkmen intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation, media outlets reported on Thursday citing the press service of the Russian government.

• August 3, 2012

ISSUE #29
07/30/2012
Even though Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych expressed concern over the launch of criminal cases against some media outlets and issued an order to check the legality of actions, the Kiev prosecutor's office is continuing to investigate a criminal case against staff members of the Lb.ua news and analysis website. READ MORE

• August 3, 2012

Turkmenistan and Russia will discuss iissues of economic cooperation during the sixth meeting of the Turkmen-Russian intergovernmental commission, to be held in Moscow on July 30-31, an official Turkmen source said on Monday.

• July 30, 2012

Syrian ambassador to Belarus Farouk Taha joined the opposition, refusing to return to Damascus, the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported today.

• July 28, 2012