The last week of October was a tense time for the bureaucrats at Minprirody, Russia's Ministry for the Protection of the Environment and Natural Resources, and naturally for Minister Yuri Petrovich Trutnev. He went all the way to Cape Town, South Africa to participate in the work of the eighth session of the mixed intergovernmental committee for trade and economic cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of South Africa.

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From there, a mad dash to Namibia, to a meeting with Namibian President H. Pohamba and Prime Minister N. Angula, as well as with first president S. Nujoma and Minister of Mines and Energy E. Nghimtina.

And it wasn't questions

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The Financial Times enumerates Gazprom's problems: are its ambitions to increase production any more than pipe dreams?  Competition for energy reserves in the Arctic Circle could prompt friction between Russia and NATO, a new commander at the alliance has warned.  Bloomberg reports that the holder of the world's fourth-largest gas reserves, Turkmenistan, is ready to export natural gas to European collaborators if they build a pipeline across the Caspian Sea to transport the fuel.  According to Oil and Gas Eurasia, Russia needs a total of $310 billion to fully carry out its program for the analysis and exploration of its continental shelf, a deputy natural resources minister has announced.  Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko has said that Russia has been invited as an observer to the December meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.  Finnish environmental ...

Ria-Novosti reports that GDF Suez will, by the end of October, become a shareholder in the company building the Nord Stream gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea, Gazprom's deputy CEO has announced.  Norway's StatoilHydro is looking for new exploration possibilities in the Russian Arctic and said the investment climate in Russia is 'acceptable' for new projects.  A joint American-Canadian mission exploring the Arctic has mapped out considerable parts of the continental shelf for the first time.  E.On and Gazprom have put a project to build a power station in Lubmin, in eastern Germany, on ice.  The Financial Times reports that Gazprom has signed a deal with Bglobal, the smart meter and energy data provider, demonstrating its desire to enter into the British energy market.  India is apparently looking to expand its cooperation with Russia in ...

President Medvedev did not receive the wholehearted backing he had hoped for from Finnish countepart Tarja Halonen over the Nord Stream gas pipeline; the Finns feel that 'an ecological question' remains.  Nonetheless Finland apparently hopes to have these environmental concerns addressed by June.  Russia plans to unveil new measures for international energy cooperation, including rules on transit.  Russian uranium company Atomredmetzoloto has reported an increase in output of 4.5% in comparison with last year's January-March figures.  Russia and China have reached an agreement to allow Rosneft and Transneft to receive loans in exchange for oil.  Brazil's state controlled oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA will not participate in a similar kind of deal which would see the company provide oil in exchange for $10 billion worth of loans.  OPEC is reportedly 'frustrated' with the fact that ...