THE HAGUE, December 25. /TASS/. Germany may become depending on certain other countries, including Qatar, in its efforts to reject Russian energy resources, Die Welt newspaper said.
"Germany is looking for new partners across the globe, to get rid of dependence on Russian gas and oil," the news outlet said. "However, energy resources are used at all continents as means of political pressure," Die Welt said.
The energy crisis provided Persian Gulf states with new leverage opportunities, as stated in the article. They are among the world’s largest oil suppliers, especially Saudi Arabia, while Qatar is the largest liquefied natural gas exporter. This is exactly why European politicians made so many trips to the Persian Gulf region for entering into new contracts and becoming less dependent on Russia.
However, Europeans changed one challenging situation to enter a new and probably even more complex one, the newspaper said. In particular, this surfaced during the corruption scandal in the European Parliament. Information appeared that Qatar’s access to the European Parliament’s complex might be suspended until the end of investigation. In response, Qatar’s representatives said that such step might adversely affect country’s relations with the EU and have implications for the world’s energy security.
German companies at the same time have just signed contracts with Qatar, providing for deliveries of two mln metric tons of LNG, which is approximately equal to 3% of Germany’s energy needs. "One should be concerned that the German government will think twice before making any statements or making decisions that may anger sheikhs," the newspaper said.