NATO and Russia ministers have begun talks on the alliance's plans to build a missile-defense shield in Europe.

• April 19, 2012

India said Thursday that it had launched a successful test-firing of a new missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads to major Chinese cities.

• April 19, 2012

Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic bordering Afghanistan, has rejected requests by foreign powers to allow them to set up military bases on its territory because it does not want to upset Russia, its president said on Tuesday.

• April 17, 2012

President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan on Wednesday received delegation led by Vladimir Litvin, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Ukrainian parliament), APA reports quoting AzerTAc.

• April 17, 2012

Japan and Ukraine will join their efforts in liquidation of the consequences of nuclear disasters. The respective Resolution on Deepening the Relations with Ukraine has been unanimously approved by the House of Representatives of the National Diet of Japan (the bicameral legislative body of the country).

• April 17, 2012

Kyrgyzstan plans to give Moscow only 48 percent of the "Dastan" plant's shares in exchange for writing off $180 million in debt instead of the required 75 percent. However, despite these differences, it does not plan to seek another investor, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Omurbek Babanov said in an interview with Kommersant-Power.

• April 16, 2012

Today, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan received the Foreign Minister of Belarus, Sergey Martynov. The sides agreed in the opinion that there is a mutual desire to deepen relations between Armenia and Belarus and expand the bilateral cooperation in various spheres.

• April 16, 2012

A Snapshot of Key Developments in the External Relations of the Russian Gas Sector

Key points:

• Greece – Gazprom appears set to take part in the tender for the purchase of Greek state monopoly DEPA SA, with the aim of gaining direct access to local gas consumers
• Israel – Gazprom continues to negotiate some form of participation in the Israeli ‘Leviathan’ and ‘Tamar’ gas fields. A preliminary agreement for the purchase of 2‐3 million tons of LNG has already been reached as Gazprom strengthens its position in the Southern European gas markets.
• Ukraine – European investors are losing interest in the modernisation of Ukraine’s gas transportation system (GTS), suggesting a possible Gazprom‐Naftogaz deal as Gazprom seeks direct access to Ukrainian gas consumers.
• Ukraine – The winter dispute over the short supply of Russian gas to Western Europe via Ukraine continues as Gazprom and Naftogaz trade mutual accusations.
• Nord Stream – The European Commission has ruled that 33‐50 percent of the capacity of the two pipelines (NEL and OPAL) which connect Nord Stream to the rest of Germany’s gas infrastructure must be reserved for Third Party Access, potentially forcing Nord Stream to operate at less than full capacity.
• Lithuania – Gazprom is trying to challenge the conditions of the EU Third Energy Package in court, with Lithuania the test case. Yet the most Gazprom can hope to achieve is a delay in the unbundling of Lietuvos Dujos.
• Lithuania – In a bid to reduce its dependency on expensive Russian gas supplies Lithuania is seeking alternative suppliers and has proposed a gas swap deal with Gazprom. However, a more realistic diversification option seems to be the construction of a new gas import pipeline from Poland.
• Europe – Negative operating results and the continued disparity between spot market and long‐term contract prices are prompting European energy companies to seek price concessions from Gazprom.
• Russia – An increase in revenues from higher Russian domestic gas prices looks set to be offset by an increase in the Mineral Extraction Tax rate for Gazprom. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Energy are discussing a new draft law that would deprive Gazprom of 80 to 100 percent of the potential extra profits from higher domestic gas prices. READ MORE

• April 16, 2012