The President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow evaded signing the agreement on the East-West gas pipeline construction with Dmitry Medvedev. READ MORE

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

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