Miller about change of Russia’s strategy at Europe’s gas market
Gasprom President Aleksei Miller said that Russia is going to change its strategy towards the European gas market. The new strategy means that from now on Russia will not export gas to the consumer, the consumer itself will have to go “shopping.”
Caspian Barrel supposes that one of such big gas “stores” will be located on the territory of Turkey or to be more exact on the Greek border.
In his interview to Sergei Brilev on Russia 1 TV channel Miller said that the decision to suspend the “South Stream” gas pipeline is the beginning of the end of the “model of work, when we exported product to the final consumer.”
“If the buyers do not want the products to be delivered to their home, then they have to dress and go shopping and in winter dress even warmer,” Miller said in his interview.
He also added that “one can take a package and even The Third Energy Package – but the most important thing for it not to be empty.”
Miller said that Ukraine’s role as the transit country will be reduced to nothing, considering total capacities of the North Stream and the gas pipeline, which will be built through the territory of Turkey. Miller added that gas will be delivered to Europe through “alternative routes” and Ukraine will receive gas only required for the local consumption.
Speaking about the South Stream, Miller said that the project has been “closed” and Russia is not going to return to it. Gasprom President added that Russia has refused of the South Stream, not because of the European Commission’s demands on the Third Energy Package, but because of lack of permission for construction from Bulgaria. Miller added that Gasprom has invested 4 billion Euro into the South Stream and “nothing will be lost” from this amount – investments will be “used for the project of the offshore gas pipeline to Turkey.”
Miller added that by its decision to block the South Stream the European Union has presented Turkey with the “gas valve,” which it can use in the dialogue with Europe.