Defending his efforts to contain Iran's nuclear ambitions, President Barack Obama said Sunday that economic sanctions against Tehran have had "enormous bite," and that he will consult with other nations on additional steps to ensure that Iran does not acquire an atomic weapon.

• November 14, 2011

The prioritization of modernization projects proposed in the feasibility study is based on relatively inexpensive repairs, which will help keep the Ukrainian gas transport system in good working condition up to its full modernization.

• November 14, 2011

US president Barack Obama has said he and Chinese president Hu Jintao want to ensure that Iran lives by "international rules and norms" amid fresh allegations that Tehran is conducting nuclear weapons work in secret.

• November 13, 2011

South Korea's nuclear envoy Lim Sung Nam left Sunday for Vienna for talks on ways to revive stalled negotiations on North Korea's nuclear disarmament.

• November 13, 2011

The two presidents meet on sidelines of trade summit in Hawaii, discuss 'wide-ranging' topics including Syria, Afghanistan, and European missile defense.

• November 13, 2011

Executive Summary
On Monday, May 16, 2011, The European Geopolitical Forum staged a roundtable discussion on the “Changing Dynamics of the Wider Black Sea in Regional Security and External Relations” at the Brussels School of International Studies, University of Kent. The roundtable featured key international speakers: Dr. Andrej Kreutz (Canada), renowned international relations specialist and author of the recent book, “Russia in the Middle East: Friend or Foe?”; and Igor Muradyan (Armenia), an acclaimed public commentator on the geopolitics and geo-economics of the Black Sea-Caucasus-Caspian area. The roundtable discussion also drew participation of officials from the Turkish Embassy in Belgium, NATO International Staff Political Affairs and Security Policy Division (IS PASP), the Mission of Ukraine to European Union, the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to NATO, the Energy Charter Secretariat, TUSIAD, the Armenian Federation of Europe, the Centre for East European and Asian Studies (Romania) and several other interested stakeholders. READ MORE

• November 13, 2011

Issue 9: October 2011

A Snapshot of Key Developments in the External Relations of the Russian Gas Sector
Key points:

• In a somewhat surprising development for Gazprom, Turkish state-owned gas pipeline operator, Botaş, has declined to extend its contract for 6 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas per year. The move is seen by some as an attempt by Ankara to obtain gas price discounts.
• The Polish state-owned energy company, PGNiG, has joined its European counterparts in pressing for lower gas prices from Gazprom. Warsaw wants to change the gas price formula and tie it to spot gas market prices.
• Another recent, unpleasant surprise for Gazprom was the launch of an investigation into its European partners carried out by the European Commission (EC). Officially, the EC investigation concerns the potential violation of antimonopoly legislation, although some commentators see the investigation as an attempt to strengthen the position of European consumers in their negotiations with the Russian gas giant.
• Belarus has agreed terms with Gazprom for the sale of the remaining 50 percent stake in Beltransgaz. In return, Belarus President, Alexander Lukashenko, is demanding guarantees of transit through the Belarusian pipeline network and a reduction in gas import prices to the level of internal Russian prices.
• Ukraine President, Viktor Yanukovich’s attempt to destroy his political rival, Yulia Timoshenko, is playing into Gazprom’s hands. As Brussels toughens its stance towards Kiev, Ukraine is forced to be more amenable in its negotiations with Russia, especially those over the future of Ukraine’s Gas Transit System (GTS)
• Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s visit to China failed to produce a breakthrough in negotiations over the Altai gas pipeline and potential Russian gas deliveries to China. The price of gas exports via the Altai pipeline remains the main stumbling block, as Gazprom is currently seeking other ways of exporting gas to China, namely via the Sakhalin-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok pipeline.

• November 13, 2011

Insights into Turkish Domestic and International Politics during October 2011
Key Points:

• Turkey’s economy continues to flourish in comparison with other developed economies on its European periphery. The country gained over a million jobs and clocked an 11 percent growth rate in the first quarter of 2011 while its GDP grew by 8.8 percent.
• Germany’s Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, leant his support to the Turkish accession bid to the EU, saying that the EU should be “fair to Turkey in the negotiation process.”
• Ankara continues its condemnation of Syrian violence against opposition and activist members, and according to a number of reports, is now hosting a group of former Syrian soldiers called the Free Syrian Army.
• A large earthquake in the Van province has exacerbated Kurdish-Turkish relations with claims of bias being leveled at the government for the manner of its response to the disaster in the mainly Kurdish region.
• Turkish Security Forces (TSK) continue their assault on PKK strongholds in Iraq after a devastating attack in mid-October that left 24 TSK soldiers dead. On October 28, police arrested a number of pro-Kurdish BDP Party members in and around Istanbul, including member of the intra-party constitutional commission, Buşra Ersanli.
• Azerbaijan and Turkey finally conclude a natural gas supply agreement following two years of negotiations, while BOTAS informs Gazprom that it will not renew a key existing gas supply contract with Russia.

• November 13, 2011