... momentum, and ISIS’ defeat is getting closer. However, Middle Eastern problems remain massive. Among them we have selected three main issues, which are also interconnected: the hostility between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Sunni and Shia; the stabilisation of oil prices, which are now rising but remain — as always — difficult to predict; the presence of terrorism, which, despite ISIS’ decline, is still a problem well beyond the region.
Starting with the geopolitics, there clearly are two main contenders....
... the reasons Saudi Arabia did not join the Astana initiative is that Iran is a founder. The Saudis does not fear a Russian influence in Syria, but they rather fear an Iranian one. Plus, Russians and Saudis have a lot to discuss and cooperate such as Oil and Gas markets, they have to deal openly at some point. It is in none favour to go into a confrontation in Syria or the Middle-East. As a result, the Saudis had started to view the Russian role in the Middle-East as stability guaranteer. The Saudis ...
On July 23, 2017, Russia’s Energy Minister Alexander Novak told the Financial Times that Libya should join the oil supply production cut agreement brokered by Moscow and OPEC last December. Russia’s decision to target Libya, alongside Nigeria and US shale gas, surprised some observers, as Moscow retains tight links to military chieftain Khalifa Haftar, who holds ...
V. Katona discussed the hydrocarbon market, which stands among the most important topics of contemporary economic discourse, with a focus on Russia’s position and development.
On June 26, 2017
Viktor Katona
, Oil Supply Specialist at the largest Hungarian oil and gas company MOL Group and Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) expert, held a lecture titled “Not Only Oil: The Hydrocarbon Market in the Era of Change” at the Library on Argunovskaya....
... and freedom? What do international investors, including Russian companies, make of Iran’s energy prospects?
Did Iran fulfill its promises?
Reuters
Most of the promises the Iranians were making in the run-up to the sanctions being lifted dealt with oil production and exports. In July 2015 – right before the JCPOA was signed – Iran produced around
2,85
million barrels/day (mbd). At that time, local companies and the government
claimed
they could increase production up to 4 mbd in three months ...
The new sanctions might become a significant problem for Russia’s energy projects
New sanctions will be most severe in terms of the Russian economy and its oil and gas sector in particular.
Russia-U.S. relations remain one of the key foreign policy issues. Events in Ukraine and Syria draw the attention of the international community from time to time, but they tend to be perceived as factors that impact ...
In less than two years, the hydrocarbon sector of Egypt passed two symbolic milestones. In 2014, the used-to-be-gas-exporter first became a net importer of natural gas. At that time, there was little prospect for Egypt’s oil & gas exporting potential. However, the discovery of the supergiant gas field Zohr in August 2015 and the events that followed reversed the situation, reviving hope for Egypt to win back its role of gas exporter. Who will take part in developing the ...
... visit to Russia in early January, Moscow and Doha’s rhetoric began to change. In September 2016, the two nations signed a military cooperation agreement followed by a far more important development: the purchase of a 19.5% stake in the state-owned oil major Rosneft by the Qatar Investment Authority and Glencore. These events may appear to herald a new age in Russia–Qatar relations, but in fact, the picture is not as simple. What follows is an attempt to shed a little light on the Russia–Qatar ...
... reduction of fundings, resulted in a 19% reduction in imports.
In line with its reform of the price support system, which absorbs 25% of the budget, the Egyptian government has decided to increase the prices in two critical sectors. First, the prices of oil and gas for factories were raised by about 50%, the former going from 1000 to 1500 pounds per ton, while the latter increased from 4 to $ 6 per each million units.
Beside energy, the other sector touched by this policy is that of drugs, where the ...
Following the drop in oil prices and the souring of US-Saudi relations, there have been increasing signals of rapprochement between Russia and Saudi Arabia. Both countries' senior representatives have been voicing intentions to strengthen energy cooperation. Could this lead ...
