Belarus plans to import 5 billion kilowatt hours of electricity from Russia in 2013, Belarusian Energy Minister Alexander Ozerets said at a press conference in Minsk Friday. "The electricity balance with Russia has been entirely agreed. We are looking at deliveries of 5 kilowatt hours from Russia, of which 3 billion kilowatt hours is guaranteed import and 2 billion can be purchased within the balance if it is economically sound," Ozerets said.

• October 22, 2012

Japan posted its worst September trade figures in more than 30 years, official data showed Monday, as the global slowdown and a territorial spat with China weighed on the world's third-largest economy.

• October 22, 2012

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov has this morning arrived in Tehran for holding talks with senior Iranian officials, Fars reported.

• October 22, 2012

Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev paid an official visit to Moscow to celebrate 20 years of good-neighborly relations with its northern neighbor. Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin, had recently visited Kazakhstan earlier in mid-September. The majority of issues discussed during the bilateral meetings in the presence of sectoral ministers largely remained out of the spotlight, as representatives of the media were only allowed to film the protocol part of Nazarbayev’s visit. However, both presidents subsequently made a number of important declarations.

• October 20, 2012

Azerbaijani gas supply to Turkey, suspended because of an explosion on the South Caucasus gas pipeline (Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum) is resumed, IHA agency quotes Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz as saying on Wednesday.

• October 20, 2012

At a time when the United States and Iran are at loggerheads over Tehran's nuclear program, Iranian and U.S. delegations were both in New Delhi this week to hold separate meetings with Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai.

• October 20, 2012

Armenia and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding on energy sector cooperation following a meeting of the U.S.-Armenia Joint Economic Task Force Thursday.

• October 19, 2012

The U.S. very much appreciates Azerbaijan's contribution to support the global community in its efforts to ensure that Iran is not developing nuclear weapons, Deputy U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Adam Sterling said during his speech at the International Conference "Role of Azerbaijan-U.S. cooperation on ensuring peace and security in the region" in Baku on Friday.

• October 19, 2012