23.02.2015 15:45
Tweet
->
Vkontakte
Twitter
Class
Google +
->
Monday, February 23, 2015
Stanislav Tarasov. Brussels weaves “gas lace” for Baku and Ashgabat – a REGNUM
According to the German Spiegel Online, as early as 2015 The European Union intends to sign memoranda of understanding with Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, which should be part of a package to improve the “stability” of the supply gas to Europe. Relevant documents have been prepared for the Energy Union EU. The peculiarity of the situation is that the European Union earlier this package is going to develop until 2016 in order to “strengthen the strategic energy partnership with producer and transit countries”, which referred Algeria and Turkey, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, a number of countries in the Middle East and Africa. The package also includes the intensification of partnership with Norway, the US and Canada.
The postponement of the preparation of documents Western experts for several reasons. According to the Associated Press, Washington is putting pressure on the EU to press Russia, to reduce by 20% the share of “Gazprom” on the Eastern European market by 2020. The US has the technological and political support, while the European Union should “take over the funding of the construction new pipelines and terminals for liquefied gas storage “. Considering that in early February, “Gazprom” has declared its intention to increase gas exports to Europe by about half, to 650 billion cubic meters, it seems that Brussels is trying by all means to retain somehow the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine, “linking” the issue with the implementation of the Minsk Agreement on the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. Thus, Moscow forced to abandon the decision to redirect the “South Stream” in Turkey. How Come? For the “Tur kish stream” from an economic point of view, does not threaten the Europeans who will just need to build the infrastructure to the border with Turkey to receive gas from Russia under current contracts. But then Brussels and the EU will lose its ability to exert political pressure on Moscow through the “Ukrainian factor” and “democratic” or “Western values».
During a recent visit to Hungary, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that «back to the project in its previous form is not possible” because “were established agreements with partners from Turkey, and Ankara after Germany acts as our second European partner, who buys significant volumes of gas.” However, there is a nuance. “Gazprom” announced that from 1 October this year will start to self-realization of the offshore part of “Turkish flow”, and Turkey, which will build the land portion of the route will begin on December 15. It is assumed that the pipeline will be operational from December 30, 2016 After you enter the first line of supplies through Ukraine will be completely stopped. However, the presentation of the energy hub on the Turkish-Greek border is related to the future. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that “Russia has not yet received from the European partners proposals for the creation of infras tructure in the EU for Russian gas through Turkey.” But expect to receive such proposals in the current situation it would be a bit strange. Not least because the European Union, according to most experts, embarked on a new energy strategy in which “more geopolitics than the economy».
As previously presented a project Nabucco, presupposed associate with Europe large deposits of natural gas in the Caspian region, bypassing Russia, wrote the German newspaper Handelsblatt, «finished announcing the latest in a long aria political opera.” The project received political, but not financial support from the United States and the European Commission, although it was apparent that one of Azerbaijani gas to fill the pipe was not enough, part of Turkmenistan was blocked because of the legal status of the Caspian Sea, Iran and the connection is matched with the withdrawal of its sanctions regime. By the way, while the EC offered by participating in the project Nabucco, proceed to an alternative: to start self-construction of the LNG terminal in the Baltic region. After the failure of the Russian “South Stream”, in Brussels reminded of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline (TANAP), connecting Turkmen gas system infrastructure in Azerbaijan. But even in t he case of this project, after the “South Stream” has become a “Turkish” seriously changed disposition: Russian gas to Turkey not only would compete with the Azerbaijani and Turkmen – all completely marginalizes existing energy Baku’s position in principle.
If you consider that American experts are beginning to consider the possibility of connecting Iran to ensure energy supplies to Europe, then talk about the profitability of TANAP c taking into account the cost of gas from Central Asia in general is not necessary, although the European Commission continues to believe that the so-called “Southern Gas corridor “to deliver gas to Europe from the Caspian region” plays a key role in building the energy independence of the region in the long run, “which requires” reduce Russia room to maneuver. ” To do this, according to the European Commissioner for Energy and Climate Miguel Arias Cañete, to conclude “a new strategic alliance with Turkey in the energy sector,” which would in Ankara introduced a “single operation with the EU”, that is, it could not be oriented towards “the Turkish stream “and have TANAP.To, Turkey offered to build projects increase its geop olitical situation in the Middle East through an alliance with Russia, and in Azerbaijan and Iran, offering delivery of gas to Europe via Turkish pipelines. In such a scenario could be using the Azerbaijani and Iraqi gas to reduce the share of Russian gas, if not in all of Europe, in its south-eastern part. This combination looks: for participation in issues of energy security in Brussels promises to Ankara identify the specific terms of its integration into the EU, trying them, though the maximum delay. With regard to Iran, although it now shows no desire to participate in the anti-Russian combinations if Tehran is promised withdrawal from the sanctions regime, tomorrow everything can change.
In this area, the game has already begun. Turkish Zaman suggests that Russia can offer to go on a truncated project “Turkish stream” (only gas supplies to Turkey – ST) while maintaining transit through Ukraine in exchange for a waiver from the European Union sanctions. “Europe is eager to implement the” South Stream “- the newspaper notes. – Once the problems between Russia and the EU due to tensions in the Ukraine will be settled, Brussels cancels anti-Russian steps, and then just before the resumption of the” South Stream “and obtaining permission from Bulgaria. The point does not change the fact that “Gazprom” has created a company for the construction of a new pipeline. At the summit in Minsk result was obtained fairly quickly, which can be explained by the fact that the first of the fruits of this process can become a desire to return to the “South Stream”. In turn, the former US ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar, who now runs the “Global energy center”, created in Washington under the auspices of the oldest think tank USA – Atlantic Council (Atlantic Council), told the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, in contrast to the “Turkish flow », TANAP already” connected contractual obligations “and” Turkish Stream “is not” interfere with the transit of other resources that can come through Turkey to Europe, that is, the gas in northern Iraq, the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkmenistan, Iran, “although” if Turkey will receive more gas from Russia, it can affect other suppliers ».
There is one” but “, which drew particular attention to Spiegel Online. Portal qualified regimes in Baku and Ashgabat as “totalitarian”, alluding to the “stand there political turmoil” .This means that Brussels intends to press for these two countries to use policy tools in case they change their energy policies. There is a theory according to which Moscow, Baku, Ashgabat and Tehran may enter the project to create a common gas transmission infrastructure and cease to act as competitors with each other, which looks not only cost-effective, because it allows to coordinate the possible volumes and directions of gas export, but also guarantees the geopolitical stability in the Caspian region and remove from the agenda the problem of the construction of “politicized” bypass pipelines, as urged by the EU. In this case, the game can be deduced Turkey, because instead of a hub at the Turkish-Greek border appear Eurasian gas hub in T ranscaucasia. Perhaps this is why the EU in a hurry to build a “strategic energy partnership with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan”, forcing them signing the so-called “Memorandum of Understanding».
See also
The European Commission weaves “broad geopolitical lace” from the Ukraine to the Caspian Sea. But she says Russia’s permanent representative to the EU Vladimir Chizhov, “having seven Fridays of the week, building a clumsy combination of a series of mnogohodovok” itself often becomes entangled in them. So let’s see what this time will end its “combination of the Caspian».
Stanislav Tarasov – Editor in Chief of the Eastern version of IA REGNUM
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment