At The Riga Conference 2014, the annual high-level meeting in its 9th year of local, EU and global security policy-makers and experts, energy security issues were featured prominently during debates.

Moldova faces a tough road in its bid to reduce dependence on Russian natural gas.

Encana of Canada has become the latest company working in North America’s shale reserves to make a leap to reduce its reliance on gas, and increase its oil production, by agreeing a $7.1bn deal to buy US-listed Athlon Energy.

Argentina’s YPF and Malaysia’s Petronas are negotiating a joint-venture with Mexico’s Pemex – possibly starting with shallow water fields – in a bid to become the first foreign oil companies to seize the opportunities of Mexico’s energy reform.

The chairman of a Philippine energy company said Friday a Chinese state-owned oil producer hasn't responded to a revived proposal to jointly explore a disputed area of the South China Sea but drilling will go ahead by 2016 with or without a partnership.

The Company’s representatives made a report on RN-Shelf-Arctic’s experience in implementing marine animals protection plans during geological survey in the Barents Sea.

Russia, Ukraine and the European Union moved closer to sealing the deal, with European Commissioner Günther Oettinger announcing on Friday that there is a high probability of signing a binding interim agreement by the end of next week.

Russia Says Arctic Well Drilled With Exxon Strikes Oil

Rosneft Discovered a New Hydrocarbon Field in the Kara Sea

Mexico is “like a sweet shop in the oil business”, according to one executive, and international energy companies are eyeing the goodies it offers as they wait for technical and fiscal details to work out how much they can splurge.

Iran’s oil minister called on Opec nations to work together to prevent a further slide in crude prices,

U.S. oil futures gained Friday on expectations of continued high demand, while global benchmark Brent held flat

Natural gas futures advanced in New York to the highest level in two weeks as concern eased that supplies would test storage limits before demand picks up with colder weather.

"The lifting of sanctions on Iran would be a game changer for world gas market," said Dr Seyed Mohammad Hossein Adeli, secretary general of the Gas Exproting Countries Forum, Zawya news website has reported.

The deal between Russia and China for importing some 38 billion cubic meters/year of natural gas through a pipeline connecting the two countries represents a key development not only for the two parties involved, but also for the role it will have in shaping the global price of LNG, according to Shigeru Muraki, vice chairman of the board at Japan's Tokyo Gas.