Gazprom stands firmly against the Nabucco project, which would connect Central Asia and Europe, via Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Romania, Hungary and Austria, by-passing Russia and Ukraine. Nabucco was originally supported by the US and the EU, but recent developments (including Russian sabre-rattling and the economic crisis) led EU officials to confirm on Monday that Nabucco is no longer among the energy projects to receive European financing.
It looks like Moscow has won a point in the battle to become the region's heavy-weight oil producer, since Nabucco will now be prevented from competing with Russia's baby, the South Stream pipeline. This pipeline is designed to carry 31 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Russia and Central Asia towards the Balkans and other European states.
Diaconescu got understandably a little huffy at a recent meeting in Brussels:
The Romanian government had counted on creating a proactive leadership role for itself in the Black Sea zone while opening a market for European-centered energy policy. Unfortunately, Russia is doing its best to prevent such a development.
Mircea Geoana did not hesitate to play the Russia card in his reiteration of Romania's desire to continue commitment towards the formulation of a "European strategy for the Black Sea zone":
Mircea Geoana drew the attention upon the fact that Romania should play a more active role in the setting up and implementation of a joint European security strategy in the Black Sea region, as well as upon the need to take into consideration alternative energy routes.
In its opinion, Romania has the obligation to
support Ukraine in the context in which, "at security level, a weakened
Caucasus would represent a permanent temptation for Russia, the
conflict in Georgia being an exception which should not be reproduced
in the future".
Referring to the new US Administration plans for
the Black Sea region, Mircea Geoana pointed out that a relative
disappearance of this zone from the new American Administration's
agenda would represent a mistake.
"We cannot but note the way the new American Administration seems to look at, over the Black Sea, Iraq and Afghanistan, where we all have serious and urgent issues to settle, but we think that a relative disappearance from the new American Administration's agenda of the Black Sea zone would represent a mistake and I think that our obligation is to reiterate the vital geopolitical importance of the Black Sea region and bring it into the attention of the new American Administration", stated Mircea Geoana.
The heat is on. And it looks like Romania might have a lot to lose under the Obama administration's multilateral foreign policy. For more on the energy corridor controversy:
- Romanian government opposes "unique corridors" soft-pedaling.
- Romania blocks GAERC talks over questions about Nabucco financing.
- Russia and Hungary move forward on South Stream.
- The latest on the gas spat between Russia and the Ukraine.
[Photo taken by Rudi Roels.]
