Turkey-Azerbaijan pipeline offers alternative for Russian gas
Ankara hopes the new pipeline, which could also carry Iranian natural gas, will break Russia’s stranglehold on natural gas prices.
Russia-Ukraine tension is being monitored particularly closely by Europe because of the continent’s dependence on Russian natural gas and Ukraine’s signing of a partnership agreement with the European Union.
Russia’s west Europe natural gas pipeline passes through Ukraine. Experience shows that at times of high tension, service through the pipeline can be disrupted, so developing an alternative to Russian natural gas is of vital importance for Europe.
Alternative natural gas resources are also important for the United States, as natural gas, in addition to being a commercial commodity, has also emerged as an effective instrument of political gamesmanship.
Although the Russia-Ukraine tension seems to have eased a bit recently, natural gas-dependent Europe does not want to take any risks and is working on developing new options as quickly as possible. Russia’s response to the European search for new resources is to find new markets for its gas.
