MOSCOW, Sept 23, 2007 (AFP) - The former French and German leaders Jacques Chirac and Gerhard Schroeder arrived at Russia's Black Sea coastal resort of Sochi on Sunday as guests of President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said.

Contacted by AFP, a Kremlin spokesman described the visit of the former French president and the former German chancellor as 'private' and confirmed they had been invited by Putin.

The Russian leader had close ties with both men during their terms in office, symbolised in their united front against the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.

MOSCOW, Sept 19, 2007 (AFP) - Russian gas monopoly Gazprom said Wednesday that it was preparing a response to new EU Commission energy proposals and was sure that its 'voice will be heard.'

The European Commission proposed a major shake-up of EU energy markets on Wednesday and also suggested tough conditions were needed for foreign companies looking to buy assets in Europe.

MOSCOW, Sept 10, 2007 (AFP) - Russian state-controlled gas giant Gazprom said Monday it had increased supply to Turkey by 50 percent after a pipeline explosion halted Iran's gas flow into the country.

'Today, in accordance with a demand from the Turkish side, Gazprom has increased the volume of its gas exports to Turkey from 20 to 30 million cubic metres per day,' Gazprom said in a statement.

SAINT PETERSBURG, Sept 8, 2007 (AFP) - About 3,000 people demonstrated Saturday in Saint Petersburg against plans by state gas behemoth Gazprom to build a skyscraper in the historic and picturesque Russian city.

'Stop the construction vandalism,' read one placard at the demonstration. ''Gazprom: enemy of the people,' read another.

The crowd marched through the centre of Saint Petersburg, founded three centuries ago by Tsar Peter the Great as the new imperial capital.

MOSCOW, Sept 6, 2007 (AFP) - US energy major ConocoPhillips and Norway's Statoil and Norsk Hydro are to become shareholders in the Shtokman gas field project, a Russian newspaper said Thursday, citing unnamed officials.

ConocoPhillips is to get 14 percent and the two Norwegian firms are to share a 10-percent stake, the Vedomosti business daily cited two unnamed sources at the Gazprom energy giant as saying.

MOSCOW, Sept 5, 2007 (AFP) - Russian energy giant Gazprom is aiming for a 'solid position' on world markets for liquefied natural gas (LNG) with the help of the Sakhalin-2 project in far eastern Russia, the company said on Wednesday.

'The completion of the Sakhalin-2 project will guarantee stability of energy supplies to countries of the Asia-Pacific region and North America,' Alexander Medvedev, deputy CEO of Gazprom, was quoted as saying in a company statement.

MOSCOW, Aug 29, 2007 (AFP) - French energy major Total will receive a quarter of the output from the first stage of the vast Shtokman gas field project in northern Russia, the Kommersant daily reported on Wednesday.

The company will also have 'wide powers' to participate in managing the project together with Russian gas giant Gazprom, the newspaper said, citing two sources close to the negotiations.

MOSCOW, Aug 26, 2007 (AFP) - A fire broke out at a major oil refinery in western Russia on Sunday and caused 100 tonnes of oil products to leak into the ground, reports said.

'The area of the fire is 200 square metres. There has also been a leak of 100 tonnes of oil products,' a spokesman for Russia's emergency situations ministry was quoted as saying.

Officials were later quoted as saying the fire had been put out.

MOSCOW, Aug 13, 2007 (AFP) - Gazprombank, a lender controlled by Russian gas giant Gazprom, plans to list its shares on the London and Moscow stock exchanges next year, a report said Monday citing a company document.

The bank hopes to raise 8 billion dollars (5.9 billion euros) by listing 15-20 percent of its shares in an initial public offering, Gazprombank's vice-president said, according to Interfax news agency.

The IPO had initially been planned for this year.

MOSCOW, Aug 8, 2007 (AFP) - A row in which Russia's Gazprom threatened to cut gas supplies to Belarus was defused on Wednesday when Minsk completed payment of its 456-million-dollar (331-million-euro) debt to the company.

A Gazprom spokeswoman told AFP that the company 'received on Wednesday the last transfer of payment owed by Beltransgaz,' the Belarussian gas pipeline operator, for the first half of this year.

MINSK, Aug 7, 2007 (AFP) - Belarus said on Tuesday it was paying off its debts to Russia's Gazprom and that all debts would be settled by the end of the week, averting a threatened cut-off.

'Last Friday, as promised, the Russian side received 190 million dollars and on Saturday about 60 million dollars more. The Belarussian side will settle its debt by August 10 and I think before,' said the government press office, quoting First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko.

MOSCOW, Aug 3, 2007 (AFP) - Russia and Belarus narrowly averted another energy crisis on Friday, reaching a last-minute agreement to cancel threatened cuts in Russian gas shipments that had rattled European nerves.

Russian gas giant Gazprom backed down from a threat to slash gas supplies by almost half to Belarus, a key energy transit state to western Europe, after Belarus began repayment of nearly half a billion dollars in overdue debt for past supplies.

MOSCOW, Aug 3, 2007 (AFP) - Russia will cut gas deliveries to Belarus by 30 percent if it does not receive additional payment of overdue bills by next week, the state-controlled energy giant Gazprom said Friday.

'If additional payments are not made within a week, we will decide to reduce deliveries in accordance with the payment we have received, which is to say by 30 percent,' spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov told Echo of Moscow radio.

BRUSSELS, Aug 3, 2007 (AFP) - The European Commission on Friday welcomed a last-minute deal between Russia and Belarus which averted the threat of a gas supply cut.

The EU's executive arm said it was scrapping plans to convene the EU's gas coordination group after Russia withdrew its threat to slash supplies to Belarus, a key transit country for Europe, in a row over money.

'We welcome the development over the past hours,' said Commission spokesman Martin Selmayr. 'There is no longer the need to call an urgent meeting of the gas coordination group'.

MOSCOW, Aug 3, 2007 (AFP) - Russian gas giant Gazprom cancelled a threatened cut-off of gas supplies to Belarus on Friday after receiving the first payment to clear nearly half a billion dollars in debt, Gazprom said in a statement.

'Today Beltransgaz has made the first payment for a significant part of the debt it owes Gazpromm... The decision has been made to put off a reduction in gas supplies to Belarussian consumers,' the company said.

MINSK, Aug 2, 2007 (AFP) - Belarus promised on Thursday to pay nearly half a billion dollars to Russia's Gazprom to avoid a gas cut-off, while Gazprom expressed confidence a deal could be reached before the Friday deadline.

Belarus, a key transit state for Russian gas imports to western Europe, had fallen behind by 460 million dollars (337 million euros) in payments for Russian gas, prompting a warning from Gazprom it would slash deliveries by half from Friday.

MOSCOW, Aug 2, 2007 (AFP) - Russian gas giant Gazprom said Thursday it was 'reassured' after Belarus said it would pay outstanding bills for gas imports ahead of a Friday deadline for a cut-off in supplies.

'We are of course reassured by the announcement from the Belarussian side today that they are ready to pay their gas debts,' Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said on NTV television.

BRUSSELS, Aug 2, 2007 (AFP) - The European Commission, concerned by a gas dispute between Russia and major transit country Belarus, on Thursday called for a meeting next week of the EU's gas coordination group.

'The Commission believes that a safe and undisturbed supply of energy is of key importance for Europe's economy,' the EU's executive arm said in a statement.

'Energy supply disputes in the EU's direct neighbourhood are therefore of serious concern to the European Commission.'

MOSCOW, Aug 2, 2007 (AFP) - Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday that Minsk would pay 460 million dollars to Russia's Gazprom to avoid a cut in gas deliveries, news agency Interfax reported.

'I have ordered the government to dip into our reserves and pay the 460 million dollars for Russian gas,' Lukashenko said, referring to an oustanding bill that Gazprom earlier said would force a gas cut-off from Friday.

MOSCOW, Aug 1, 2007 (AFP) - Russia threatened on Wednesday to cut gas supplies to Belarus from Friday unless it pays nearly 500 million dollars in debt, prompting urging from the European Union for a swift resolution.

Pricing disputes between Moscow and Minsk have previously hit energy supplies to western Europe, which receives about 20 percent of its Russian gas via Belarus.

BRUSSELS, Aug 1, 2007 (AFP) - The European Commission on Wednesday urged Moscow and Minsk to act swiftly to resolve a dispute in which Russia is threatening to slash gas supplies to Belarus, a key transit country for EU supplies.

'We take these developments very seriously,' said martin Selmayr, spokesman for the EU's executive arm.

'We call on both parties to solve the issue amicably without delay,' he added.