The inauguration of a gas pipeline by Greece and Turkey on the
border of the two countries on Sunday provided ample evidence that
Athens’s energy planning is the object of a tug of war between Russian
and US interests.
The presence at the ceremony of US Energy
Secretary Samuel Bodman left no doubt regarding Washington’s position
with respect to the energy plans not only of Greece but of Europe in
general. On Monday, Bodman pressed the message further in meetings with
top ministers in Athens.
Russian reflexes proved quick, shown by
its ambassador’s visit to Development Minister Christos Folias as soon
as Bodman had left his office.
Bodman gave a clear idea of the
content of his contacts both in his speech at the inauguration ceremony
and at an informal and unscheduled meeting with Greek reporters
afterward.
“Azerbaijan and the other countries of Central Asia
should become the main energy suppliers of Europe,” Bodman said in his
speech at the inauguration, in apparent contrast with European plans.
“Europe’s
energy security demands competitive energy markets,” he added,
describing Greece, Turkey, the US and Azerbaijan, which were all
represented at the event, as an alliance of partners for the
development of Central Asian nations, including Turkmenistan and
Kazakhstan, into Europe’s main suppliers – indirectly but clearly
referring to Russia by omission.
Bodman said the US was not
opposed to Russian gas flowing through the pipeline. “Washington is
interested in securing supplies for European consumers, for whom
dependence on just one source is not to their benefit,” he said.
Greek government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos said the US energy secretary had been invited and was welcome.
“In its international economic relations, the country cooperates to its benefit with whomever it deems necessary,” he added.
But
it was clear that Bodman’s presence at the inauguration of the gas
pipeline – a project planned to be extended to Italy and financed by
the EU – irked Brussels, which decided not to be represented. Energy
Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said his wife was ill, while the Italian
energy minister also cited similar reasons for not attending.
Italy’s
energy giant ENI has signed an agreement with Gazprom for the
construction of the South Stream pipeline that will carry Russian gas
west.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan seized on the
occasion to highlight his country’s energy infrastructure and plans
which will upgrade its geopolitical significance, including the
Baku-Ceyhan and Samsun-Ceyhan oil pipelines.
Azeri President
Ilham Aliyev noted that the deposits in his country’s Shah Deniz gas
field were estimated at 1.2 trillion cubic meters and he was looking
forward to expanding coope