Year: 2008

May 2, 2008

The Economist: Divide, Rule or Waffle

The security of EU-Russia relations continues to be a hot topic. The most recent partnership and co-operation agreement (PCA), drawn up in 1997, is now outdated, and ministers are stumbling over how to proceed with securing a new one. The Economis...
May 2, 2008

Energy Blast – May 2, 2008

A subsidiary of Lukoil has finalized the purchase of Europa-Mil, the owner of a chain of gas stations in Croatia. ExxonMobil’s $10.9 billion profit has “disappointed” investors. Eesti Gaas, an Estonian gas company run by Gazprom, has applied to ra...
May 2, 2008

RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – May 2, 2008

TODAY: May Day protests over inflation; Champion League football match to be held in Moscow, continues to dominate the press; Lavrov in London for Middle East Quarter; US congressman warn against anti-Russian positions; further peacekeeping troops...
May 1, 2008

Russia’s War on Lawyers

I was forwarded a link to an interesting article by Paul Goble at Windows on Russia, which comments on recent statements made by the leaders of the All-Russian Congress of the Unions of Lawyers. It’s no secret that over the past six years, t...
May 1, 2008

RA in Upstream: Confronting Resource Nationalism

Robert Amsterdam was profiled in the new issue of Upstream magazine, an energy trade magazine, on how international energy companies can and should defend their rights in resource nationalist market conditions. Download the full PDF of the article...
May 1, 2008

EU-Russia Energy Co-operation: How Will It Work?

On Russia Profile, foreign policy analyst Alexander Rahr argues for greater EU and Asian cooperation with Russia in the energy sector. He outlines the initial decision to centralize Russia’s natural gas industry and the development of Gazprom, and...
May 1, 2008

Medvedev Ally Moves to Improve Investment Climate

In what would appear to be good news for investors, UK newspaper The Guardian is reporting today that the use of a long-disputed legal clause has been forbidden by a top judge. The news, sourced from a story in Russian-language newspaper Vedomosti...
May 1, 2008

Energy Blast – May 1, 2008

Following talks between their leaderships, Russia has announced that it believes Iran is not developing nuclear weapons, and has pledged to complete the Bushehr power plant on schedule. Armenia is facing a power crisis as it is due to replace its ...
May 1, 2008

Today in Russian Business – May 1, 2008

Russia is becoming the largest market for many luxury car brands, particularly Land Rover and Bentley, and some speculate that the country could overtake Germany as the biggest car market in Europe by 2010, in spite of its high import duties, curr...
May 1, 2008

RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – May 1, 2008

TODAY: May Day rallies; government may waive visas for UK football fans; Russia-Georgia tensions continue, Nato alarmed; remains of Czar’s children identified. Kasparov a “nuisance”? Russia is marking May Day with a number of rallies. United Russi...