An official of the Turkish Energy Ministry told Reuters that Turkey was buying additional gas from Azerbaijan and Russia to cover the shortfall caused by the explosion, which according to state-run Anatolian news agency occurred in the eastern Turkish province of Ağrı.

The CSTO member states' security and stability, as well as global and regional threats and other key international issues are said to be on the agenda of the two-day discussion.

The Russian and Azerbaijani Defence Ministers Anatoliy Serdyukov and Safar Abiyev discussed prospects of the use of the radar station rented by Russia in the Azerbaijani city of Gabala

Declarations about some "higher priority principles" are a fiction

Russian President Medvedev will meet the Armenian leader Serzh Sargsyan in Astana this weekend. The diplomatic bandwagon rolls on but the Russian leadership is now realising that finding a peaceful solution to the Karabakh conflict is not easy.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan dismissed once again prospects for damage to the Turkish economy from global economic troubles and said the Turks should not cut spending, although this did not mean they should waste their resources either

Russia is continuing with diplomatic efforts to keep the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement process on track. There are however also other issues on the Russia-Azerbaijan agenda.

Medvedev is also expected to meet the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan in Astana later in the week.

Within the next 3-4 years Karabakh will not only ensure its energy independence but also to become electric power exporter

Armenia is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation but Azerbaijan is not and Aliev will not be at the Astana summit.