Posted on 01/08/2020 10:07:38 PM PST by NorseViking
When Vladimir Putin visits Istanbul on January 8, the Russian president will be doing more than officially opening a new export pipeline -- he will be getting some more closure on his longstanding dream to end Moscow's dependence on archrival Ukraine in getting natural gas to Europe.
Russia has been seeking to cut gas transit through Ukraine since the mid 2000s, and the $7.8 billion TurkStream pipeline project is a big part of that strategic goal.
The pipeline, which transits the Black Sea and surfaces outside Istanbul, took five years to complete and is one of two major new natural-gas export routes totaling nearly $20 billion that Russia expects to go on line this year.
TurkStream also marks a major achievement for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has long sought to turn his country into an energy hub and will stand alongside Putin at the January 8 inauguration ceremony.
The pipeline will carry 31.5 billion cubic meters (bcm) of Russian natural gas annually to Turkey’s western province, with half of that volume to be further exported to the Balkans and Central Europe, including Bulgaria, Serbia, and Hungary.
Russia, which exported nearly 200 bcm to Europe in 2019, had been supplying gas to the Balkans and Turkey through an overland route transiting Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania. That gas will now be rerouted through TurkStream, which consists of two lines stretching 930 kilometers each under the Black Sea from just outside the Russian town of Anapa.
(Excerpt) Read more at rferl.org ...
How does someone write an article like this and fail to mention that Russia and Ukraine just signed a five year gas transit deal two weeks ago?
Agenda journalism.
A very important story, and everyone should pay attention. This is a power shift, in favour of Russia. It also shows that Turkey still has some cards to play. With the failure of regime change in Syria, Turkey seems to have a new pivot, away from Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Ukrainian gas transit was never endangered by Russia. For Russia it is a route and bandwidth. The more transit the more revenue. The problem was the Ukrainian side which tried to use transit monopoly for superprofit extorting transit fees. With more routes bypassing Ukraine they have lesser leverage and transit fees decrease to reasonable levels.
With current euro policies on coal and nuclear Europe would buy as much gas as it might be delivered to them.
It wouldn’t surprise me if the bribes paid by the Ukrainians to the Democrats was for the purpose of using US blood to keep Russia from bypassing Ukraine when it came to exporting natural gas to Europe.
The way politicians in this country were so hell-bent in getting rid of Assad (with Hillary virtually promising a war with Russia) always told me that it was more than just some ‘Arab Spring’ ideal...much more.
More evidence of how much Turkey is a NATO member in name only.
I have no idea why do you mix NATO membership with commerce. I mean I have idea why but it is barely legit.
Energy is more than commerce. It is an intrinsic aspect of security.
And that vision is a source of anti-Americanism in allied countries.
Imagine US is still depending on foreign oil and you have a choice to get it from Mexico and Canada and have $9 gas as a result or from Libya and Syria and have $2 gas. It is a big deal for the people you impose such a choice upon for a sake of ‘friendship’.
“And that vision is a source of anti-Americanism in allied countries.”....”Imagine US is still depending on foreign oil and you have a choice to get it from Mexico and Canada and have $9 gas as a result or from Libya and Syria and have $2 gas. It is a big deal for the people you impose such a choice upon for a sake of ‘friendship’.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-inks-mega-gas-pipeline-deal-with-greece-cyprus/
Would you support derailing this project too?
No. But I would not celebrate or consider it a good thing for the NATO alliance.
Meanwhile, Israel is building a better offer for Europe that won’t compromise European security for Russian energy.
How do you know it is a better deal or what are the factors or compromise/non-compromise?
I have seen it. Nothing about better deal or compromises.
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