Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations
The East-West energy crisis has benefited a German-Russian scheme to cut out Eastern Europe to secure gas supplies. The European Union will be all the weaker. Both Moscow and Berlin are using the Urkraine dispute to promote Nord Stream, a controversial gas pipeline that could weaken already shaky European unity on energy. How well can Europe stand up to Russia using energy resources to pressure and bully European Union members states, particularly its former Eastern satellites, if Germany has cut a cosy side deal? Nord Stream will funnel gas directly from Russia to Germany bypassing Poland and the Baltic states and German Europe Minister Guenter Gloser has been singing the project's praises. "There must continue to be energy supplies from Russia but that on the other hand, other regions are needed to ensure security of energy supplies," he said. "The Nord Stream project must be an important part of that diversification of energy sources." As the heating went off or rationing came in for Eastern and Central Europeans, the familiar face of Gerhard Schroeder, the former German Chancellor, popped up in Moscow.
Herr Schroeder was in Moscow on Wednesday, the same day Gazprom cut off the Ukraine, oozing oily cynicism and snuggling up to Vladimir Putin, Russia's leader whatever the job title of the day. "Nord Stream is an extremely important project to strengthen the energy security not only of Germany but of all of Europe," he said. Mr Putin, direct as ever, is quite open that one of Russia's strategic interests in stoking the energy crisis is to discredit the Ukraine and to promote Nord Stream. "The current situation only makes even more relevant our main task, our plans for the construction of a gas pipeline system along the bottom of the Baltic Sea." "I think that our European partners have now finally realised that this project is necessary and has to be carried out promptly,"," he said as the Gazprom gas taps were switched off.
The 750-mile pipeline would entirely avoid transit through Ukraine and the latest convenient energy crisis comes as key a Nord Stream deadline approaches. Baltic states, some of which fear the pipeline will make their big Western German neighbour too cosy with their big Eastern Russian neighbour, will in the coming weeks decide on environmental permits Nord Stream needs to lay pipe on the Baltic Sea bed. The energy crisis applies some considerable moral pressure. Mr Putin, again, made the agenda clear: "If we had already built this pipeline, if no-one had hampered us, it would already be operating through the Baltic Sea." Poland and other East European countries fear that with Nord Stream bypassing their territories to benefit Germany it will become much more difficult to rally the EU to stand up to Russia using energy as a political weapon. It may well be that, whatever the deal on the latest Ukraine crisis, Russia has won by dividing Europe to rule via Germany and Nord Stream.
Source: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/bruno_w...stwest_gas_war
Germany and Russia benefit while EU loses in East-West gas war
Nord Stream will bypasses the Ukraine and divides Europe
The East-West energy crisis has benefited a German-Russian scheme to cut out Eastern Europe to secure gas supplies. The European Union will be all the weaker. Both Moscow and Berlin are using the Urkraine dispute to promote Nord Stream, a controversial gas pipeline that could weaken already shaky European unity on energy. How well can Europe stand up to Russia using energy resources to pressure and bully European Union members states, particularly its former Eastern satellites, if Germany has cut a cosy side deal? Nord Stream will funnel gas directly from Russia to Germany bypassing Poland and the Baltic states and German Europe Minister Guenter Gloser has been singing the project's praises. "There must continue to be energy supplies from Russia but that on the other hand, other regions are needed to ensure security of energy supplies," he said. "The Nord Stream project must be an important part of that diversification of energy sources." As the heating went off or rationing came in for Eastern and Central Europeans, the familiar face of Gerhard Schroeder, the former German Chancellor, popped up in Moscow.
Herr Schroeder was in Moscow on Wednesday, the same day Gazprom cut off the Ukraine, oozing oily cynicism and snuggling up to Vladimir Putin, Russia's leader whatever the job title of the day. "Nord Stream is an extremely important project to strengthen the energy security not only of Germany but of all of Europe," he said. Mr Putin, direct as ever, is quite open that one of Russia's strategic interests in stoking the energy crisis is to discredit the Ukraine and to promote Nord Stream. "The current situation only makes even more relevant our main task, our plans for the construction of a gas pipeline system along the bottom of the Baltic Sea." "I think that our European partners have now finally realised that this project is necessary and has to be carried out promptly,"," he said as the Gazprom gas taps were switched off.
The 750-mile pipeline would entirely avoid transit through Ukraine and the latest convenient energy crisis comes as key a Nord Stream deadline approaches. Baltic states, some of which fear the pipeline will make their big Western German neighbour too cosy with their big Eastern Russian neighbour, will in the coming weeks decide on environmental permits Nord Stream needs to lay pipe on the Baltic Sea bed. The energy crisis applies some considerable moral pressure. Mr Putin, again, made the agenda clear: "If we had already built this pipeline, if no-one had hampered us, it would already be operating through the Baltic Sea." Poland and other East European countries fear that with Nord Stream bypassing their territories to benefit Germany it will become much more difficult to rally the EU to stand up to Russia using energy as a political weapon. It may well be that, whatever the deal on the latest Ukraine crisis, Russia has won by dividing Europe to rule via Germany and Nord Stream.
Source: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/bruno_w...stwest_gas_war
Comment