PACE president to arrive in Moldova on Tuesday.

CHISINAU, March 23 (Itar-Tass) - Movlud Chavushoglu, President of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), begins a three-day
official visit to Moldova on Tuesday.
An official in the press service of the Moldovan parliament has said
that during meetings with the leadership of the republic Chavushoglu is
planning to discuss the development of democracy in Moldova, a reform of
local government bodies, and measures to strengthen trust between
Chisinau and Tiraspol in the Trans-Dniester Region peace process.
Other subjects that are provided for in the 2010-2011 Action Plan of
the Council of Europe (CE) for Support to and Cooperation with Moldova
are to be examined as well.
In particular, the sides are to touch upon the theme of political
crisis in Moldova. Efforts to stabilize the situation in the republic have
been to no avail since the spring of last year when the buildings of
parliament and presidential residence were smashed in Chisinau following
the parliamentary elections.
Notwithstanding the early election and realignment of political
forces, the parliament has been unable, for almost a year now, to elect a
President.
In order to avoid an election, the authorities suggested changing the
procedure for the election of a Head of State. However, the CE Venice
Commission recommended the parliament to introduce amendments to the
Fundamental Law and hold a new election.
While in Chisinau, Chavushoglu is expected to meet with Mihai Gimpu,
Moldova's acting President and Parliament Speaker, and the leaders of
parliamentary factions, and address a plenary meeting of parliament. The
programme for the visit also provides for Chavushoglu's meetings with
representatives of international organizations accredited in Chisinau and
with other officials.

.Qatari PM to visit Moscow to discuss gas market situation.

MOSCOW, March 23 (Itar-Tass) - Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of
Foreign Affairs Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani arrives here on
Tuesday for a working visit. During meetings with members of the Russian
leadership he intends to discuss the development of bilateral relations.
Cooperation in the energy, trade-and-economic, and investment fields
will be discussed at talks with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on
Wednesday, March 24, a Russian government press service official announced
earlier.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will receive Al-Thani on the same
day, an official in the Kremlin press service said.
While in the Russian capital, the Qatari Premier is expected to
compare positions on the situation on the gas market and on the issue
concerning the coordination of actions among gas producing countries.
At a regular OPEC session in Vienna in recent days, Chaqib Khelil
urged the members of the Forum of Gas Exporting Countries (FGEC) to reduce
the scope of gas production with a view to stopping the decline in world
prices of gas. He drew the attention of those present to the fact that a
cardinal change in the pricing system comes about on the world gas market:
user countries increasingly often renounce long-term contracts for gas
deliveries, giving preference to the purchases of liquefied gas on the
rapidly developing world spot market (immediate delivery for cash).
Diplomatic circles do not rule it out that attention will be devoted
to this trend within the scope of talks to be held in Moscow by the Qatari
Head of Government. The sides are also to coordinate their positions in
the run-up to a FGEC session in the Algerian city of Oran on April 19.
As FGEC members, Moscow, Doha, and Tehran account for about 60 percent
of the world's gas reserves. In 2008 they decided to institute a technical
committee -- a Big Gas Troika -- with a view to implementing joint
projects dealing with the entire gas supply chain -- from production to
transportation.
It was precisely in Doha on December 9, last year, that Russian
candidate Leonid Bokhanovsky was unanimously elected FGEC
Secretary-General.
FGEC, which brings together Algeria, Bolivia, Brunei, Venezuela,
Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Qatar, Libya, Malaysia, Nigeria, the United Arab
Emirates, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Equatorial Guinea, was founded
in 2001 as a floor for exchanges of opinions and information among the
relevant ministries and chiefs of national gas companies on matters of
current importance concerning the development of the gas sector.
Originally this association had neither a charter nor a clear-cut
system of membership or a permanent mission in any country. In the course
of 2008-2009, FGEC was busy reforming its structure with a view to
creating conditions for the joint work of gas exporting countries in all
fields -- from gasfield development and production to transportation and
sale of gas all over the world.
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