Russian President Medvedev urges ratification of new START treaty

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday urged a swift ratification for the U.S.-Russia START treaty, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

Medvedev called on the Russian Parliament to ratify as quickly as possible the treaty which consists in the new nuclear arms reduction pact with the United States and signed last April in Prague, Czech Republic.

"The Americans have done what they have promised to do. They have ratified the treaty with several amendments," Medvedev said. "Now it is the turn of our parliament. You have all possibility to do the same. I hope that decision will be made."

Afghan official blames Iran's blockade for fuel shortage

Afghanistan's commerce minister has blamed Iran for the country's fuel shortage, the DPA news agency reported on Monday.

"Afghanistan is suffering. The stoppage of fuel tankers has created great problems and a crisis for us in terms of fuel supply," Anwarul Haq Ahadi told journalists.

Iran cut its fuel supply route to Afghanistan for more than a month without providing a convincing reason in early December. It has been allowing only small numbers of trucks, 40 tankers a day, to cross the border. There were still about 1,800 to 1,900 tankers on the other side, Ahadi said.

BP and Russia agree to major arctic projects

BP and Russia on Friday agreed on major arctic projects as part of a groundbreaking strategic global alliance.


BP and the state-run energy giant Rosneft signed a joint venture to explore and develop three license blocks (EPNZ 1,2,3) on the Russian Arctic continental shelf. The licenses were awarded to Rosneft in 2010.

"This unique agreement underlines our long-term, strategic and deepening links with the world's largest hydrocarbon-producing nation. We are very pleased to be joining Russia's leading oil company to jointly explore some of the most promising parts of the Russian Arctic, one of the world's last remaining unexplored basins," said BP COE Bob Dudley.

EU and Azerbaijan sign strategic gas deal

The President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso and the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on have signed a Joint Declaration on gas delivery for Europe in Baku, the European Union (EU) said.

In the declaration, Azerbaijan commits to supplying substantial volumes of gas over the long term to the EU, while Europe provides access to its market for them. This Joint Declaration is an important step in the realization of the Southern Gas Corridor and the diversification of Europe's energy supplies.