The vote handed US President Barack Obama a major foreign policy victory in his drive to improve ties with Moscow and curb the spread of atomic weapons to other nations.

• December 23, 2010

Bulgaria is looking at opportunities to export electricity to Lebanon, according to the Minister of Economy, Energy, and Tourism, Traicho Traikov.

• December 23, 2010

Kyrgyz officials say Uzbekistan has reduced natural gas deliveries to Kyrgyzstan's southern regions due to Bishkek's debts, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

• December 22, 2010

German firm RWE, which owns npower, bought 49% stake in project that cable claimed 'reeked of side deals'

• December 21, 2010

Russia, a leading oil and gas exporter, has used more than 50% of its known oil reserves and might need to attract enormous investment to modernise its oil infrastructure.

• December 20, 2010

North Korea has allowed UN nuclear inspections to resume after talks with visiting New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, CNN reported on Monday.

• December 20, 2010

Issue 1: November/December 2010

A Snapshot Of Key Developments In The External Relations Of The Russian Gas Sector

Half a year after the gas dispute with Belarus, Gazprom has created a new ‘daughter’ company in Minsk, Gazprom Transgas West, as a potential operator of the Belarusian stretch of the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline. The current operator of the section in question is Beltransgaz, in which Gazprom holds a 50% stake. However, the new ‘daughter’ company, which will exercise complete control over the Belarusian section of the pipeline, will be completely controlled by Gazprom. Although few experts predicted that another gas dispute in 2010 was likely, since the current contract between Gazprom and Beltransgaz does not expire until the end of 2011, establishment of Transgas West implies that Moscow has been taking steps to prepare for the likelihood of future dispute scenarios. READ MORE

• December 20, 2010

Turkmen delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister Baymurad Hojamuhammedov will discuss issues of cooperation in oil and gas industry in Tehran (Iran) on Saturday, the official Turkmen source said.

• December 18, 2010