A Snapshot of Key Developments in the External Relations of the Russian Gas Sector
By Dr Jack Sharples, EGF Associate Researcher on the external dimensions of Russian gas and Lecturer in Energy Politics at the European University of St Petersburg

• Gazprom and the EU: Good news and bad news for Gazprom: sales volumes rising but prices falling in 2015-16; European Commission and Gazprom continue on their dual-track approach to resolving the antimonopoly case; Stalemate over Gazprom’s use of the OPAL pipeline; EU Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete, warns against Nord Stream-II at European Parliament plenary session
• Nord Stream: Gazprom CEO suggests that Nord Stream-II gas could be delivered to south-eastern Europe; Nord Stream-II to enter Baltic Sea at Ust-Luga, not Vyborg; Nord Stream reaches milestone 100 bcm of deliveries, but continues to operate below capacity
• Turkish Stream: Turkish Botaş initiates gas price arbitration against Gazprom as Russia-Turkey relations come under strain
• Ukraine: Naftogaz prepays and resumes imports from Gazprom, without formally signing the ‘Winter Package’ agreement
• Asia: Gazprom launches construction of Amur gas processing plant (GPP) as part of the Power of Siberia project; Gazprom hosts working meetings with Mitsui and Mitsubishi to discuss Sakhalin-II LNG terminal expansion; Gazprom Marketing and Trading Singapore (GM&TS) signs 10-year LNG sale-and-purchase agreement with Singaporean state-owned Pavilion Gas for exports to the Asia-Pacific region
• Other: Gazprom launches construction of second line of Ukhta-Torzhok pipeline

• November 13, 2015

Syrian opposition figures and Gulf commentators dismissed on Wednesday a Russian draft proposal for a process to solve the Syrian crisis, saying Moscow's aim was to keep President Bashar al-Assad in power and marginalize dissenting voices.

• November 12, 2015

Iran will double natural gas exports to Iraq starting in 2017 under a contract signed on November 11.

• November 12, 2015

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says that Washington remains at odds with Russia and Iran over Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s future as part of a possible deal to bring an end to the civil war in Syria.

• November 12, 2015

Western and Gulf Arab nations have dismissed a Russian plan for peace and reform in Syria and said it will not form the basis for talks in Vienna this weekend.

• November 12, 2015

Indonesia could take China before an international court if Beijing's claim to the majority of the South China Sea and part of Indonesian territory is not resolved through dialogue, Indonesia's security chief said on Wednesday.

• November 11, 2015

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the Philippines' case against China at an arbitration tribunal over rival claims in the South China Sea had strained relations and that it was up to the Philippines to heal the rift.

• November 11, 2015

Syrian opposition figures and Gulf commentators dismissed on Wednesday a Russian draft proposal for a process to solve the Syrian crisis, saying Moscow's aim was to keep President Bashar al-Assad in power and marginalize dissenting voices.

• November 11, 2015