That was then (2014) — this is now (2017), and Rex Tillerson will be turning to old comrades, in order to find a way to ‘turn down the Russian sanction heat’ — in order that both countries’ “mutual investors” can finally “cash in” on the shrinking Ice-caps of the Arctic Seas. The lemon-aide is just waiting to be squeezed.
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Russian oil king, former aide to Vladimir Putin, and friend of Rex Tillerson
The Economist, Europe Edition, Dec 15th 2016
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Mr [Igor] Sechin is one of the most feared men in Russia and an essential instrument of Vladimir Putin’s power. A major player among the siloviki (former and current members of the security services), he epitomises Russia’s nexus between political power and property. Despite being a target of American sanctions, earlier this month he succeeded in selling a 19.5% stake in Rosneft to Glencore, a commodities firm, and the Qatar Investment Fund, raising $11bn. The deal, the biggest foreign investment in Russia since the start of the Ukraine crisis in 2014, pleased the Kremlin no end. “Putin needs that like he needs air,” says Olga Kryshtanovskaya, a sociologist who studies the Russian elite.
Another boost to Mr Sechin’s prestige came with the nomination of Rex Tillerson, the boss of ExxonMobil, as America’s secretary of state. The two men’s long relationship was consummated by the deal they struck in 2011 for their firms to work jointly in the Arctic. Mr Sechin is now poised to become an intermediary between Moscow and Washington.
What happens when you mix one of the richest (and environmental reckless) Oil Corporations in the world, with one of the “most feared” nationalist oil conglomerate, run by Putin’s “right hand man”?
What happens is, you get “The Deal of the Century” — a modern-day Gold-rush, for lack of a better term.
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by Douglas Busvine and Vladmir Soldatkin, Reuters| MOSCOW — Apr 18, 2012
Oil major ExxonMobil (XOM.N) and Russia's Rosneft ROSN.M unveiled an offshore exploration partnership on Wednesday that could invest upward of $500 billion in developing Russia's vast energy reserves in the Arctic and Black Sea.
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Under the deal, signed in Moscow on Monday, Exxon and state-controlled Rosneft will seek to develop three fields in the Arctic with recoverable hydrocarbon reserves estimated at 85 billion barrels in oil-equivalent terms.
A final investment decision on the projects in the Kara Sea, in the centre of Russia's north coast, is expected in 2016-17, Rosneft said in a video presentation at the event, which was hosted by Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson and Rosneft President Eduard Khudainatov.
As this researcher previously wrote about, Carter Page a once-Trump Campaign Advisor on Russia, was recently offered a similar “19% cut of the action” by Putin’s deal-maker Igor Sechin — that is until the details of such deal-making was put under the investigation microscope, on the U.S. side of the Arctic pole.
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Memos: CEO of Russia's state oil company offered Trump adviser, allies a cut of huge deal if sanctions were lifted
by Natasha Bertrand, businessinsider.com -- Jan 27, 2017
A dossier with unverified claims about President Donald Trump's ties to Russia contained allegations that Igor Sechin, the CEO of Russia's state oil company, offered former Trump ally Carter Page and his associates the brokerage of a 19% stake in the company in exchange for the lifting of US sanctions on Russia.
When that Russia-connection story broke, The Donald disowned Carter Page — just as he did when Paul Manafort’s connections became news. Apparently Trump’s Loyalty to his personal envoys is about as thick as his own skin -- which is to say ‘not very’ ...
And Trump has made a few choice comments about ‘Taking the Oil’, in addition to all the business opportunities that Russia represents. If Donald Trump is such a grand deal-maker, why does he always ‘tip his hand’ about what his real intentions are — once his cheering fans rile him up and egg him on?
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Trump's Updated ISIS Plan: "Bomb The Shit Out Of Them," Send In Exxon To Rebuild
by Tim Hains, Real Clear Politics — Nov 13, 2015