The skirmishes have stirred concern about the stability of a late 2020 Moscow-negotiated armistice.

At present, upstream operations in the Caspian Sea mainly use electricity generated from natural gas.

National Bank of Ukraine Governor Kyrylo Shevchenko said oligarchs have a "destructive" influence over the county's central bank.

The cartel now decided to increase production by 400,000 bpd every month starting in August until it reaches production levels at the end of 2019.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew 2.1 percent in January-June this year from a year earlier backed by the growth in the non-oil sector.

Germany and the United States, during Merkel’s final visit as Chancellor to Washington, concentrated their efforts not on whether the pipeline should be completed but rather on how Ukraine might be compensated if it loses its status as a transit country for Russian gas.

Kazakhstan’s focus on improving investor dispute resolution and prevention mechanisms has been an essential element of this success. A great deal has been done in recent years. Many countries around the world, especially those that have passed through similar transitions from other non-capitalist economic systems in their recent history, can draw useful lessons from Kazakhstan’s experience.