The increase in supply from North Africa to Italy, Germany and other states worries Moscow, so far the main supplier of the market
The Russian press and sources close to Russian energy giant Gazprom endorse the intention of Italy and other European countries to increase gas imports from Algeria. There are concerns that the Maghreb country will eventually conquer Russia’s current hegemony in the European market and even leave it out in the medium term.
France does not buy too much Russian gas, but Italy is the second largest buyer of this fuel from Gazprom in the European Union after Germany. Last April, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi traveled to Algiers and agreed with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboun to increase blue fuel imports by nearly 50% (between 9,000 and 10,000 million cubic meters) by the end of 2022. .
Now, after the break with Spain, Algeria would be willing to export even more, not only to Italy but even to Germany and other European countries. This situation worries Moscow, despite the good relations it maintains with Algiers, as Rome does not hide that its goal is to completely get rid of Russia’s energy supply in the coming years.
Russian gas represents 40% of the total consumption in Italy. That is 29,000 million cubic meters per year. And without the invasion of Ukraine, experts believe that growth in Russian gas consumption in the EU would have continued. But now the fruitful cooperation between Gazprom and Italy’s ENI can be called into question.
Germany is also strengthening its energy alliance with Algeria. German Deputy Foreign Minister Katja Keul traveled to Algiers on Monday to sign several cooperation agreements and “consolidate” relations between Algeria and the European Union.
However, according to the Russian daily ‘Niezavísimaya Gazeta’, no one expects serious problems in relations between Algeria and Russia. “An increase in Algerian gas supplies to Italy is unlikely to overshadow relations between the North African country and Russia. The EU simply rejects Russian gas and as a result there is no direct competition between the two countries,” said Leonid Fituni, deputy director of the Institute of African Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, in statements to the newspaper.
In his opinion, “even if Moscow wanted to punish Algiers, it is unlikely that it will be able to (…) Russia is an important, but certainly not the only supplier of arms to this North African state. Algeria is also rearming itself with the aid from the United States, France and Italy itself.” Fituni further emphasizes that “Algeria is not even very dependent on Russian grain supplies.” The Kremlin is also confident that the North African country will be tasked with fully extracting Russian gas in Europe. replaced, will not be able to handle.
In any case, relations between Moscow and Algiers have always been good since Soviet times. Both countries have signed numerous agreements in the field of energy, including the coordination of their policies under OPEC, and military, especially with regard to arms sales. In May, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Algiers and was received there by Tebboun, who had invited President Vladimir Putin to Russia. Lavrov thanked the Algerian leader for his “balanced position regarding the Ukraine crisis, resisting pressure from Washington”.
Source: La Verdad
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