By Kakia Papadopoulou
Sunny Athens most likely has been one of the favorite places for Russian President Vladimir Putin, considering the bleak Moscow landscape in the beginning of the spring. The Russian president visits the Greek capital for the second time in the last six months for the signing of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline.
For the Greeks and presumably for the Bulgarians the pipeline is of paramount importance, but for the Russian side, the 280-kilometer project could not be seen as a major event which explains the personal endeavor of Mr Putin.
In a between the lines approach, commentators see interesting messages that Mr Putin’s visit in Athens can deliver.
The pipeline will carry Russian oil through Bulgaria and Greece avoiding transit through the Bosporus busy straits. Ankara has systematically strengthened its position in the global energy field in the past decade, a development which does not please Kremlin at all. Turkey has always been Washington’s “close friend” after all.
On the other hand, Moscow’s energy package always includes natural gas. Athens has been committed to the construction of the Greece-Italy gas pipeline. However, the gas supply of the pipeline seems problematic.
The pipeline which would carry gas from the Caspian region through Turkey to Greece and then to Italy and from there the fuel would hit the western markets, supposedly would transport gas from the huge Shah Deniz field in Azerbaijan which will start production in the beginning of 2007. However, the expected production has already been contracted by Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan itself. Larger quantities will be available beyond 2014, but it is unlikely Baku to sell any left over supplies, if there will be. Azerbaijan said that it will stop importing Russian gas after Moscow asked for more than double its previous price, putting more pressure on the first phase of Shah Deniz.
At present, Russia’s oil production, at 9.6 million barrels per day, has surpassed Saudi Arabia’s (9.1 million bpd) with most of its exported, while natural gas production exceeds 600 billion cubic meters annually (a quarter of the world production) and Russia’s gas reserves, at 50 trillion m3, are the world’s largest.
Of course, the strengthening of wider business ties can be another point to be taken into account for the Russian president’s visit.
But energy has the key role to Kremlin’s diplomacy and politics. And Mr Putin uses it to boost his country’s global influence, acting as “an old times, good merchant who respects every single customer, no matter how big he is,” a local commentator wrote.