In the aftermath of the 2008 Russia-Georgia war, Russia recognized Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia, as a fully independent country. Then, Moscow funneled half a billion dollars into Russian air, naval and border defense bases in Abkhazia, an entity almost the size of Kosovo.

• April 11, 2013

Ukraine plans by 2014 to liberalize gas laws in line with the requirements of European laws, Deputy Energy and Coal Industry Minister Volodymyr Makukha said at the Polish-Ukrainian gas conference in Warsaw on Thursday, April 11.

• April 11, 2013

EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger stated that European dependency on Russian gas must be reduced, APA-Economics reports.

• April 10, 2013

China expressed serious concern on Wednesday after Japan and Taiwan signed a fishing agreement for the seas around a disputed group of East China Sea islands which have been at the center of an increasingly hostile stand-off between Beijing and Tokyo.

• April 10, 2013

North Korea has been unusually blustery of late, threatening its southern neighbor with destruction, closing the jointly administered Keasong industrial complex , and flirting with what would be its fourth nuclear test since 2006.

• April 10, 2013

Civil aviation authorities of Turkey and Russia signed a civil aviation agreement Monday to enhance cooperation in airspace use, code sharing and increasing the number of flights between the two countries.

• April 9, 2013

The unlocking of domestic shale gas reserves could help India meet its growing
energy demand, besides reducing its dependence on expensive energy imports.

• April 9, 2013

The Eastern Europe unanimously placed its bet on the South Stream. Plain fact is that the new Europeans chose to protect their national interests in spite of all temptations and threats from Brussels and Washington.

• April 9, 2013