Austria needs Russia to ensure energy security, Moscow gas "flocks" to Ankara

On September 4, speaking on ORF television channel, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer emphasized that buying gas from Russia is not a pleasant thing, but the country needs Moscow to ensure energy security.

In July 2023, 66% of Austria's gas imports came from Russia. (Source: Reuters)

Responding to a question about whether Austria would abandon Russian gas, Mr. Nehammer said that the country's top priority is to ensure energy security. If this is violated, the production system and energy supply to the population will be disrupted.

In June 2018, Russia's Gazprom Export LLC and Austria's OMV Gas Marketing & Trading GmbH signed an agreement to extend the contract for Russia to supply natural gas to Austria until 2040.

OMV head Alfred Stern said that OMV will continue to buy Russian gas under the contract because the company is not subject to sanctions from the European Union (EU).

According to the European Network of Gas Transport System Operators (ENTSOG), in July 2023, 66% of Vienna's gas imports came from Moscow.

* On the same day, after meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the two countries will establish a working group to deploy the gas center.

“Gazprom has handed over to Botas a draft roadmap for the implementation of this project (gas hub in Turkey). The establishment of a joint working group and coordination of the legal framework for the functioning of the hub, as well as business plans and the transfer of purchased gas are on the agenda,” President Putin said.

The Russian leader stressed that in 2022, Moscow provided Ankara with 21 billion cubic meters of gas via the Turkish Stream and Blue Stream gas pipelines and more than 10 billion cubic meters in the period from January to August 2023.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/ao-can-nga-de-dam-bao-an-ninh-nang-luong-khi-dot-moscow-nuom-nuop-sang-ankara-240922.html