by Costas Iordanidis
06-05-06
The most controversial comments made by US Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice during her visit to Athens were her warnings against Europe’s energy
dependence on Russia.
A few days after her meeting with Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis, the
Russian energy giant Gazprom and an energy trading unit of the German chemical
holding BASF signed a major natural gas deal in the Siberian city of Tomsk with
the blessing of Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela
Merkel.
Some Greek commentators would be tempted to describe the agreement as a sign
of German disobedience toward the United States. Others would disagree, instead
stressing the issue’s economic dimension. The disagreement essentially boils
down to how differently the two sides define the national or private interest in
the free market economy.
On a regional level, Rice’s warning against the continent’s energy dependence on
Russia concerned the construction of the Nabucco pipeline project, which could
run from Azerbaijan, the Caspian Sea and possibly from Iraq and Iran through
Turkey to Austria. A section of the pipeline will cross eastern Thrace, northern
Greece, and take an underwater route to southern Italy. Another section will
start from Thessaloniki and will reach Austria after crossing the Western
Balkans.
Rice’s comments in Athens underscored that the Americans are concerned that
Gazprom will try to secure its stake in the southern pipeline, or Nabucco. But
this issue found its answer in Tomsk, where Gazprom’s deputy director general,
Alexander Medvedev, said that Rice’s comments were an attempt to politicize
energy trade. He added that no pipeline program will expand to the south without
the participation of Russian gas.
The Greek government sees the Greek section of the gas pipeline as an
opportunity to turn the country into an energy hub. However, the specific
program has become a source of friction between Washington and Moscow.
The issue at this point is not whether the decisions and worries of the
United States are grounded or justified. Instead, it is rooted in what appears
to be a gradual decline in the prestige of American policy in the energy sector,
which is benefiting Russia in terms of market demand and not political or
military means.
Should the trend continue, then the government would probably win the game of
the southern pipeline. Gazprom is currently the fourth-strongest firm in terms
of stock market value after the American companies ExxonMobil, General Electric
and Microsoft.
The Greek government has repeatedly said that it wishes to diversify its
energy sources. That was stressed during the visits of Rice and of the deputy
assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, Matthew Bryza,
who came to Athens a few weeks ago for energy talks.
Given that Turkey is playing a leading role in the program of the southern
pipeline and taking into account the systematic rapprochement between Ankara and
Moscow under the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, it seems likely that
Washington’s warnings will miss their target as they did in the case of Germany
and other European countries.
The world’s most powerful countries are obviously exploiting their position
in the new globalized environment. The US is taking advantage of dynamic
American firms and its leverage as the sole superpower to set the global agenda
in the economy sector. China is taking advantage of the export of low-priced
consumer goods and India the service sector.
The power of Putin’s Russia is the wealth of energy resources and the country is
using this to reinforce its global status. Russia differs from other emergent
economic powers with its huge experience in geopolitics.
Like other small countries, Greece is gradually getting involved in a new
type of competition, which is about energy instead of ideology.
But the aim of the game -- assuming the greatest possible power -- remains the
same.
Source: www.ekathimerini.com