Russia-Turkmenistan Summit
The President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow evaded signing the agreement on the East-West gas pipeline construction with Dmitry Medvedev. READ MORE
MOL, Gazprom to Build Gas Storage Site in Hungary Independent of South Stream
On March 10 in Moscow, Hungary's privately-owned MOL oil and gas company signed an agreement with Gazprom Export in Moscow to jointly establish a gas storage company in Hungary. Prime Ministers Vladimir Putin and Ferenc Gyurcsany witnessed the signing. This project is separate from and, in all probability, independent from Gazprom's South Stream pipeline project, one section of which is planned to traverse Hungary. MOL is not participating in South Stream (Interfax, March 10, 11). READ MORE
Turkish Government May Approve Construction of a Nuclear Power Plant in April
Russian Energy Minister Sergey Shmatko paid an official visit to Ankara to meet with Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler. At the meeting, Shmatko inquired when the Turkish authorities would make their final decision to allow the Russian-Turkish consortium to build Turkey's first nuclear power plant. Guler said that assessments of the consortium's bid had reached the final phase. It was reported that the Turkish government would make its final decision after the provincial election on March 29. Before the visit the Turkish press speculated that Russian officials were coming to Turkey because of concern that the Turkish government might revoke the bid that was made by the Russian-Turkish consortium. READ MORE
Kazakh Oil Flows to Feodosiya
Feodosiya import increased oil transferring in 2,8 times. Up to May, monthly oil processing volume will comprise not less than 200 thousand tons.
According to the press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Transport and Communications, in January the transshipment port increased the transfer up to 216,5 thousand tons, in comparison with the previous January value of 75,1 thousand tons. READ MORE
UK Ambassador to Russia Anne Pringle: Investors have immense opportunities in Russia
Anne Pringle, a new British ambassador to Russia, presented her credentials to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on January 16, thus officially taking the office. Ms. Pringle has been in Russia since October 2008. She talked about preparations for an upcoming G20 financial summit in London. READ MORE
Obama, Brown Push for Unity Ahead of World Summit
US President Barack Obama and Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown are making very public pleas for global cooperation ahead of a major economic summit.
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Putin Warns Europe Over Ukrainian Gas Plan
Russia’s Prime Minister said he’s unhappy his country was not consulted on a European Union decision to help Ukrainian modernize its gas supply network. Putin warned that the slight could jeopardize Russian-EU relations. READ MORE
EU's New Eastern Partnership Draws Ire From Russia
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized on Saturday the European Union's new partnership with six former Soviet states, suggesting the 27-member bloc was seeking to extend its own sphere of influence. READ MORE
Baltic States in the Epoch of Nuclear Romanticism
The Government of Estonia has approved the programs of energy and electric economies, according to which Estonia plans to build nuclear power plant by 2023. The General Director of the National Foundation for Energy Security Konstantin Simonov commented on the situation. READ MORE
The key out of crisis
The global world crisis which is shaking the countries and continents today is a special phenomenon unknown to mankind ever before. It is definitely an unprecedented phenomenon which does not have its analogy in world history and which is cardinally changing the world order with all its economic foundations. That is why for its analysis, understanding and for overcoming it a totally different approach is required which should reexamine all the old dogmas and stereotypes. READ MORE
EU assigns funds and staff to “Eastern Partnership”
With EU leaders putting €600 million in the pot for the Eastern Partnership, the European Commission is mulling over how to assign personnel to run the new project.
"The means are there for this to start up, that's the most important thing," Czech EU presidency foreign minister Karl Schwarzenberg said in Brussels on Friday (20 March), after EU leaders approved the policy at a meeting dominated by multi-billion euro plans on the economy. READ MORE
Azerbaijan's pipe dream for Europe
On the outskirts of Azerbaijan's BP Shah Deniz gas terminal, security guards are on duty around the clock. They patrol the 15km (9 mile) fence as a damp drizzle falls across the warren of gas pipes and oil platforms behind it. Green and yellow flags flap violently in the wind. READ MORE
Chancellor Merkel Says Nein to Nabucco
Shifting gears from an ostensible equidistance between pipeline projects, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has come out against proposals to use European Union funds to kick-start the Nabucco pipeline project for bringing Caspian gas to Europe. READ MORE
Jacek Saryusz-Wolski: “Belarus Remains the Weakest Point”
The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament Jacek Saryusz-Wolski expressed his view on possible participation of Belarus within the EU program of Eastern Partnership. READ MORE
Merkel Confident G20 Summit Will End in Global Agreement
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was optimistic world leaders would reach an agreement at next month's G20 summit in London, despite signs of rifts between Europe and the United States.
Speaking after talks in London with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Merkel said she was confident a compromise would be reached by world leaders at G20 meeting scheduled for April 2. READ MORE
Brzezinski: the USA and Russia Aren’t Capable Settle the Karabakh Conflict
For the first time within an electoral period international intermediaries – co-chairs of the Minsk OSCE Group on Nagorno-Karabakh settlement (Russia, the USA, France) have gained the opportunity to proceed consulting the parties in and outside the region, as stated in the review. During the meetings held the international intermediaries intended to extend direct contacts of the Parties to reach an agreement on the basic principles of the conflict settlement. Armenian-Azerbaijani meetings at the summit level were held twice (on June 6th in Saint-Petersburg and on November 2nd in Moscow). READ MORE
The “Way to Europe”. What is It?
Lately, the phrase “Way to Europe” has been used more often with the reference to the programs of long-term development of post-Soviet countries. Thus, recently Kazakhstan Government has published a program with the kind of title. And however, there is no clear definition of this term. Frequently its interpretations are absolutely different. The term itself carries diverse semantics. It comprises a total spectrum of the views of further development of all post-Soviet states. The understanding of the meaning varies from strategic plans of the EU joining and leading of Euro-oriented foreign policy, up to plain improvement of quality and standards of living. The only thing that unites all interpretations: the “Way to Europe” – is not a program of mass migration. READ MORE
European Commission funds projects to support free and fair parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova
In the context of the legislative elections in the Republic of Moldova on 5th of April, the European Commission has allocated funds amounting to €3 million for projects to promote and monitor compliance with international standards during the electoral process. The holding of free and fair elections is one of the key commitments of the Republic of Moldova under its European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan with the European Union. READ MORE
EU Energy and Climate Policy
Speech at the 7th Doha Natural Gas Conference
Doha, 11 March 2009 READ MORE
Kazakh Vice Foreign Minister N. Danenov took part in UN Human Rights Council session
Kazakhstan delegation headed by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Nurlan Danenov took part in the X session of the UN Human Rights Council opened in Geneva, Kazinform refers to the press service of the Kazakh Foreign Affairs Ministry Development, security and human rights are closely connected with each other, therefore it is crucial to prevent social instability and worsening the observance of human rightst protection in the world due to global financial crisis, the Kazakh Vice Minister noted in his speech. READ MORE
Siemens Plans Nuclear Cooperation with Russia
Germany may be phasing out its nuclear power stations, but German group Siemens plans to cooperate with Russia's Rosatom to tap into the growing global market to build new nuclear plants. A deal could be signed in the coming months.
German industrial group Siemens is preparing to sign a nuclear cooperation deal with Russia to tap a growing global market for building nuclear power plants, German business daily Handelsblatt reported. READ MORE
EU signals end of ‘free lunches’ on climate finance
EU signals end of ‘free lunches’ on climate finance.
China and India must play their full part in fighting climate change and accept that programmes financed by the West to modernise their industries will only come in return for making genuine efforts at home. READ MORE
US, Russia Agree to Work Out New Arms Deal
Russia and the Uniteds States have agreed to a work plan towards a new strategic arms reduction treaty, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday, March 6, after talks with her Russian counterpart. READ MORE
Euro-Atlantic factor
Moscow is still going to persuade its partners in the OSCE to realize by means of this organization an ambitious reform of the system of international security.
Appearance in Washington of the new administration has agitated the hopes on softening confrontation with Moscow. In some political narrators’ opinion, the presidents Obama and Medvedev, both representing the first generation of politicians, developed after the Cold War, can manage to do what their predecessors did not. This optimism strengthened still more after a presentation of the US vice president Joe Bayden on recent Munich conference, where he stated that in Russian-American relations it came time to press the button "reset". READ MORE
Caspian Sea yet to see new discoveries
Interview with: Campbell Keir, Shell’s Country Chairman in Kazakhstan.
Royal Dutch Shell has been one of the first foreign investors, which started its activities in Kazakhstan. Cooperation of one of the largest international oil company with oil-rich republic of the former Soviet Union has started in 1992. Campbell Keir, Shell’s Country Chairman in Kazakhstan, in an exclusive interview with New Europe correspondent in Astana Kulpash Konyrova discussed Shell’s involvement in the Caspian region, the Kashagan field, and a controversial tax law launched in Kazakhstan. READ MORE
EU suggests Russian Federation and Turkey to Join Eastern Partnership
This was a suggestion of the Foreign Affairs Minister of France Bernard Kouchner.
As Bernard Kouchner stated, according to the “Agence France Press”, the European Union suggests Russia and Turkey to join a number of summits within the “Eastern Partnership” program, that is devoted to the promotion of cooperation between the EU and six former Soviet Republics – Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. “Everybody agreed to invite Russia and Turkey to join discussions in special cases depending on the agenda,” – stated Kouchner. READ MORE
Eastern European Nations Fear Rift With Richer Neighbors
Politicians agreed they don't want divisions in the EU, but internal conflict continues EU leaders tried to overcome their differences on how to address the ongoing economic crisis as protectionism fears and calls for aid from smaller members raised warnings of a "new iron curtain" in Europe. READ MORE
Expectations and Reality
Georgian Way to Europe in the Retrospect of the August War.
The address of Tomasz Pojar within the IV International Conference for “European Way of Georgia - Implementation of the European Neighborhood Policy” in Tbilisi “Sheraton Metekhi Palace” hotel was highly expected, as he represented the country that presides in the EU currently. And the comments of Pojar on “Georgia’s expectations” were symbolic to some extent. READ MORE
