Caspian region with bordering territories became the most promising and gasul regif the world by the beginning of decade. Proved stocks of “black gold” here are about 10 billion tons, and overall resources of oil and gas condensate are estimated as 18-20 billion tons. The experts of the US Energy Ministry suggest that by 2015 Caspian region will cover 7% of world production of liquid hydrocarbons and 12% of their export (200-230 million tons annually). READ MORE

Hillary Clinton had quite the African odyssey. On the day she started her ambitious 11-day, seven country tour, husband Bill jetted off to Pyongyang and wrested two American journalists from Kim Jong-Il. Then, after dancing in Kenya, sitting down with Nelson Mandela, and upbraiding various African pols, her rumble in the jungle with a Congolese student was what dominated the headlines back home. READ MORE

Saxony, Thuringia and Saarland go to the polls on Sunday. With a general election barely a month away, national party leaders are nervously anticipating results that will set the tone for the impending campaign. READ MORE

Interview minister for foreign affairs of Belarus. READ MORE

Ukraine is making steady progress towards EU membership, but is aware of the difficulties which lie ahead amid an unfavourable global economic context, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Hryhoriy Nemyria, responsible for European integration, told in an exclusive interview. READ MORE

One year after its short war with Russia, Georgia on Tuesday (18 August) became the first country to withdraw from the grouping of former Soviet republics, in a sign of rebellion met with disdain from Moscow. READ MORE

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin wooed Turkey's AKP government with grandiose vistas of a bilateral partnership on energy during his visit to Ankara. Along with his proposal to build Gazprom's South Stream pipeline to Europe via Turkey's Black Sea economic zone, Putin also discussed reviving Gazprom's Blue Stream Two pipeline project in a new form. READ MORE

A bitter war of words between EU members Hungary and Slovakia intensified Friday as Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom cancelled a private visit after Bratislava said it would bar him from entering. READ MORE

Next year Kazakhstan will chair the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Kazakhstan joined OSCE in 1992 right after declaration of independence, and afterwards has actively cooperated with the Organization in all spheres during all these years. READ MORE

The response from the Obama administration was also immediate. In an effort at damage control, the White House and State Department denied any suggestion that the administration was changing its carefully crafted approach toward Russia, even as spokesmen for the administration reaffirmed U.S. principles about the independence of Russia’s neighbors. But the incident has demonstrated once again how easily U.S.-Russian relations can be derailed or diverted and how vulnerable they will remain until a firmer base is built for better ties. READ MORE