The Kremlin has warned that it might abandon the Nord Stream gas pipeline project on the Baltic seabed from Russia to Germany (see EDM, November 19). The warnings seem designed to line up wider European support for the project as well as to distract attention... MORE

According to Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Qin Gang, Chinese President Hu Jintao will attend the G20 Economic Summit to be held in Washington DC on November 15. At a press conference on November 4, Spokesperson Qin announced that President Hu has accepted President George W.... MORE

Russia’s invasion of Georgia severely disrupted the operation of the energy transit corridor during August and September, causing revenue losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars to Georgia, Azerbaijan, and the oil and gas companies. Physical damage to the corridor, however, turned out to... MORE

One might ask how far Kremlin-backed Russian companies will go in their quest to take control of valuable gold mining assets not only in Eastern and Central Europe, but in South America and Central Asia as well. One example of their efforts is the recent... MORE

In Turkey's convoluted "long march" toward European Union membership, Ankara has exhibited immense patience during the accession process, which began 21 years ago, when on April 14, 1987, Turkey applied to join the EU, having been an associate member of the European Union and its... MORE

Ukraine has secured a big loan from the IMF in order to stabilize its finances amid the global crisis. To qualify for the loan, parties in parliament agreed to set aside their differences and pass stabilization laws proposed by President Viktor Yushchenko. Thanks to this,... MORE

OMV, the Austrian oil and gas group, and Russia’s Gazprom, along with the Vienna Stock Exchange and Centrex Europe Energy and Gas AG (CEEGAG) have agreed to cooperate in developing the Central European Gas Hub (CEGH) located in Baumgarten, Austria, Kommersant daily reported on November... MORE

Since the mid-1990s, Belarus has frequently cited its economic successes: high growth rates (over 10 percent in the first half of 2008), impressive increases in industrial output, and an economy that has managed to thrive even while closely controlled by the state. President Alyaksandr Lukashenka... MORE

In the new "Great Game" between the West and Russia over the vast energy reserves of Central Asia, Tajikistan has always stood apart, owing to its geographical isolation, degraded economy, and relative lack of hydrocarbon resources. Now the poorest and most isolated of the "Stans"... MORE