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#22 - JRL 2006-215 - JRL Home
German Expert Sees No Grounds For Claims of Russia-Europe 'Energy Pact' Against US

MOSCOW. Sept 25 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin's statement mentioning the possibility of redirecting part of production from the Shtokman gas condensate field to the European market signals that Russia is a key international player in the gas sector, Alexander Rahr, the German Foreign Policy Council's program director for Russia and the CIS, told Interfax.

By making such a statement after his meeting with French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Putin sought to show that "Russia has reached fundamentally new frontiers in supplying Europe with oil and gas and that it cooperates both with America, Europe and Asia," he said.

"But the most important signal he wanted to send is that Europe remains a priority partner. Part of (production from) the Shtokman field can become Europe's property, whereas it has been viewed as a strategic reserve for cooperation with the U.S.", Rahr said.

The political scientist said he categorically disagreed with the opinion of a number of observers that Russia has allegedly concluded an 'energy pact' with Europe against the United States. "My opinion is that it is wrong to say so. The reserves of the Shtokman field will be enough for both America and Europe. I think that it was just a signal: if Europe does not want to buy Russian gas, there are a lot of alternative (markets) where it can be sold," he said.

"I believe that Putin wants to demonstrate that Russia is a major player in the international arena from the point of view of gas energy. It involves a diplomacy of pressure - a stick and carrot policy. Europe used to apply the same policy in relations with Russia," he said.

Commenting on the results of the Putin-Chirac-Merkel meeting, Rahr said that the event "has not lived up to the expectations of those who believe that the 'Troika' has compromised itself and exhausted its potential."

"Mrs. Merkel continues the course of Schroeder and Kohl, while France is still strongly interested in business cooperation with its eastern partner as well," the analyst said.