++NIGHT SHOTS++ 1. Wide of Kremlin with Christmas tree 2. Wide of Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, greeting Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan 3. Cutaway media 4. Wide of Putin and Nazarbayev, sitting and talking 5. Putin talking 6. Nazarbayev talking 7. Wide of presidents standing up and leaving 8. Wide of Russian and Kazakhstan officials and media gathered for signing ceremony 9. Wide of Russian, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan ministers signing agreement to build a natural gas pipeline 10. Viktor Khristenko, Russian energy minister, signs the agreement for Russia 11. Kazakhstan trade minister Galym Ozarbakov, signs the agreement for Kazakhstan 12. Bairammurad Muradov, head of state agency for management and use of energy resources signs for Turkmenistan 13. Cutaway media 14. Wide of ministers shaking hands 15. Cutaway media 16. SOUNDBITE(Russian) Vladimir Putin, Russian President "The creation of a new energy artery will enable long-term large-scale delivery of gas to our partners, and will become a substantial new contribution to the strengthening of energy security for Europe, and not only for the Eurasian territories, but also for our major consumers in Western Europe. 17. Wide of press conference 18. SOUNDBITE(Russian) Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan "We have discussed our cooperation on nuclear energy, which has already been mention by Vladimir Vladimirivich (Putin). In particular it is a joint construction of a nuclear power station in the city of Aktau as well as further integration of nuclear energy facilities of our countries." 19. Wide of Putin and Nazarbayev at press conference 20. Cutaway media 21. People leaving at end of press conference STORYLINE: Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan signed an agreement on Thursday to build a natural gas pipeline along the Caspian Sea coast that would strengthen Moscow's monopoly on energy exports from the resource-rich region. But the plan also delivers a strong blow to Western hopes of securing alternate energy export routes. The pipeline provoked concern among energy analysts in Western Europe, which assiduously courted Turkmenistan to ship some of its vast natural gas reserves under the Caspian Sea, bypassing Russia. Turkmenistan, which has the second-largest gas reserves in the former Soviet Union, sends all its gas exports via Russia and the new agreement is likely to increase Russia's economic and political muscle in the country. The deal, which follows a preliminary agreement reached in May, ended months of tense arguments over the price of gas supplies. ""The creation of a new energy artery will enable long-term large-scale delivery of gas to our partners, and will become a substantial new contribution to the strengthening of energy security for Europe," Russia's President Vladimir Putin said. The agreement was signed after Putin's talks in the Kremlin with President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan and their conference call with Turkmen President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov. Following months of disputes over the gas price, Russia's state-controlled monopoly OAO Gazprom gave in to Turkmen price demands last month and agreed to pay 130 dollars per 1,000 cubic metres of natural gas in the first half of 2008 and 150 dollars in the second half. The new pipeline deal will be disappointing for the United States and the European Union, which have been lobbying for a rival pipeline to be built under the Caspian Sea, bypassing Russia. Adding to the West's grievances, Nazarbayev also said after the talks that Kazakhstan would increase oil exports to Russia. However, prospects for pipelines under the Caspian have been clouded by high costs, environmental concerns and disputes over ownership of the sea resources. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/9616f8b258ba801d6a7a1e576cc53afd Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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