Abstract: The article is dedicated to the peculiarities of the oil and gas policy of the Lebanese Republic – one of the few countries in the Middle East that does not engage in hydrocarbon extraction. The issue of oil and gas production in Lebanon remains insufficiently studied, although certain aspects of Lebanon's oil and gas policy have been touched upon by Russian scholars in the context of the Lebanon-Israel multiyear maritime border dispute. The author examines Lebanon's attempts to discover oil and gas in the 20th and 21st centuries against the backdrop of the complex political and economic situation in the country, describes the procurement process, in which Russian companies were also involved, and addresses the legislative framework for hydrocarbon production and exploration. The article explores the prospects of significant hydrocarbon reserves in Lebanon, with special attention paid to exploration in the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). According to experts, Lebanon possesses substantial oil and gas potential, as evidenced by the discovery of significant gas deposits offshore Israel and Cyprus. However, initial drilling in Lebanon's EEZ did not confirm the presence of commercially viable hydrocarbon reserves. It is concluded that the unstable political situation in the country, as well as the dispute with Israel over maritime borders, significantly hindered exploratory drilling offshore Lebanon. The unsuccessful tender process in recent years indicates Beirut's insufficiently effective oil and gas policy. The author believes that even if confirmed oil and gas reserves are discovered, Lebanon's economic crisis cannot be resolved in the foreseeable future due to weak governance and a lack of developed infrastructure for hydrocarbon export.

Keywords: Oil, TotalEnergies, Novatek, Mediterranean Sea, Middle East, France, Syria, Israel, Lebanon, Gas

Abstract: The research subject is the energy aspect of competition between China, the EU, Pakistan and India in Central Asia at the present stage. The authors show that China is interested primarily in oil resources of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. China and the EU are trying to diversify external energy supply resources to reduce the dependence on the politically unstable Middle East. At the same time, the EU tries to reduce dependence on energy supplies from Russia. India and Pakistan are trying to realize their interests in Central Asia by planning their projects of oil and gas pipelines. The research methodology is based on the system approach. The authors also use the institutional, historical-genetic, socio-psychological and comparative methods. The authors prove that one of the key obstacles of development of economic connections between the states of Southern and Central Asia is the absence of direct transport link. On the other hand, the geographical closeness of India and Pakistan to post-Soviet republics, together with the readiness of Pakistan to open the access to its ports and the vast South-Asian market, are their main advantages. 

Keywords: EU, China, international competition, energy sphere, Central Asia, India, Pakistan, oil, gas, pipeline

Abstract: This article includes results of the analysis of the key strategic goals and directions of the “pipeline policy” of the Russian Federation, its priorities, which in turn infl uence the process of formation of the foreign policy of the state. Benefi cial geographical and geopolitical position of Russia allows it to implement export of sources of energy in any necessary quantity, as well as to gain considerable dividends from the transit functions. In order to achieve greater results, Russia attempts to implement the projects on transportation on the sources of energy in bordering states of Europe and Asia, and to form a non-discriminatory regime of transit of sources of energy.

Keywords: oil, resources, energy sources, diplomacy, dividends, Europe, Asia, Russia, geopolitics, geopolitical situation, resources, policy.