Latest articles from Vladimir Socor
No Gas Sources Foreseen for Gazprom’s South Stream
Gazprom vice-president Aleksandr Medvedev's extensive briefing on the South Stream transport project for potential investors (see article above) left the matter of sourcing it with gas entirely obscure. This omission could not come as a surprise, given Russia's gas production shortfall now setting for several... MORE
Russia in EurAsEc: Imperial Largess from Dwindling Resources?
The presidents of Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEc) member countries -Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, as well as observer country Armenia- held an extraordinary summit of that organization in Moscow on February 4, the day after the CSTO summit there (see EDM, February 5, 6).... MORE
Russia Preparing to Buy Allies Through Anti-Crisis Assistance
While facing a financial and economic crisis of its own, Russia has launched an ambitious program of anti-crisis subsidies to several loyalist governments. The program seeks to consolidate a sphere of Russian economic and political influence in selected countries. Moscow plans to disburse those subsidies... MORE
The CSTO: Missions, Capabilities, Political Ambitions
The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which adopted decisions to develop Collective Rapid Response Forces at a summit in Moscow on February 4 (see EDM, February 5), owes its existence to Russia's ambition to cast itself as the leader of a political-military bloc on the... MORE
CSTO Summit: Rapid Deployment Forces Advance at a Snail’s Pace
The Presidents of Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan held a session of the Collective Security Council-the top political decision-making body of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)-on February 4 in Moscow, where they signed an agreement on further developing the CSTO's Collective... MORE
Chancellor Merkel’s Letter Perturbs EU’s Energy Debate
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has reacted negatively to the high-level meeting in Budapest, which improved the prospects for European Union funding of the Nabucco gas transport project (see EDM, January 29, 30). Merkel has taken a contrary position in a confidential letter to EU Commission... MORE
How Much Longer Can Azerbaijan Wait For Nabucco to Materialize?
"It's a good question, how long we are going to wait," Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev warned with regard to the Nabucco gas transport project during the World Economic Forum just held in Davos. As a potential large-scale producer with proven reserves of 2 trillion cubic... MORE
Slovak Government Invites Gazprom into the Country
On January 23 in Bratislava, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Gazprom Vice-President Aleksandr Medvedev announced the intention to create a Slovak-Gazprom joint enterprise. Fico stated specifically that he wanted such an enterprise to compete against SPP (Slovensky plynarensky priemysel--Slovak Gas Industry), the joint company... MORE
Nabucco Conference in Budapest, Part Two: Gas Supply and Transport—Diversification’s Twin Sides
The high-level conference in Budapest on the Nabucco gas project (see EDM, January 20, 22, 23, 27, 29) underscored a reality that seems to slip from the conceptual grasp of some influential West European circles. This reality is that diversification of supply sources and transport... MORE
Nabucco Conference in Budapest, Part One: Moderate Expectations, Moderate Promise
On January 26 and 27 Hungary hosted a high-level policy conference on the Nabucco gas transport project, with participants encompassing the entire producer-transit-consumer chain from the Caspian basin to Europe, and with active involvement by the European Union for the first time. The event did... MORE