Financial Times: EU needs alternative suppliers after rejection of South Stream

Baku. 25 February. REPORT.AZ/ EU tries to negotiate with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan on gas supplies to the EU to diversify sources after Russia abandoned South Stream gas pipeline project. Report informs referring to RIA Novosti, it is written by the Financial Times writes.

According to Financial Times, EU is stepping up a charm offensive in Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan as relations with Russia worsen, in a drive to put the gas-rich but politically sensitive countries at the heart of the bloc’s energy strategy.

It is expected that, Brussels will unveil its long-term energy blueprint on Wednesday. Early drafts of the plan seen by the Financial Times show the EU will pledge to “use all its foreign policy instruments to establish strategic energy partnerships” with alternative suppliers such as Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Algeria.

According to Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice-president in charge of Europe’s energy agenda, emphasises the need todiversify away from Gazprom. Russia’s gas export monopoly.

I think that Europe has really got tired of each summer having a discussion of how to make it through the next winter. The world’s biggest economy should not have such concerns in the 21st century, he said in an interview with the Financial Times in the run-up to Wednesday’s announcements. Russia would remain a very important supplier for the EU but its influence would lessen, he said.

Mr Sefcovic admitted that the EU had made mistakes with its previous attempts to build a southern corridor for the supply of fuel, in particular, the gas pipeline Nabucco.

We have learnt the lessons from Nabucco. This project failed because there was not enough political support, he said.