“Gazprom has taken advantage of the disarray inside the European Union by forging ahead with its own contracts with Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary and now Serbia.” Serbia announced that Gazprom bought a 51% stake in NIS, its oil monopoly. Komi Regiongas, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom, has offered to buy all gas produced by Aladdin Oil and Gas at the Middle Sedolskoye field in Russia. There is a “95% chance” that Russia’s United Company RUSAL, the world’s top primary aluminium producer, will move its initial public offering of shares from London to Hong Kong, because investors there are “more hungry”. Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, says that Iran will be ready to answer all questions concerning its nuclear program within the next few weeks.