Germany: European energy is not America's business

On October 16, at a conference on transatlantic alliance relations organized by the Aspen Institute, German Foreign Ministry Secretary of State Andreas Michaelis declared that the US has no right to decide Europe's energy policy or whether the organization will buy Russian gas or not.

Mr. Michaelis continued to affirm that Russia will remain an important energy supplier to Europe despite US pressure on this issue. The German official even said that cooperation with Russia is a core interest of the European Union (EU).

Berlin also announced last week that it would continue to support the Nord Stream 2 project to transport gas from Russia to Germany, saying the project would ensure gas supplies for Germany's expected rising demand in the coming years at a very competitive price.

Although Nord Stream 2 is facing resistance from many EU countries, State Secretary Michaelis also said that Germany will consult with EU partners to build an effective cooperation model, sharing benefits. However, Berlin does not accept that the final decision on this issue is decided by Washington.

This is also not the first time German officials have voiced support for the Nord Stream 2 project. German government spokeswoman Martina Fietz said on October 8 that Germany is self-sufficient in its energy supply, and Nord Stream 2 is purely an economic project.

"We import gas from diverse sources, from different countries: Russia, the UK, Norway, the Netherlands. Germany's demand for natural gas will only increase in the coming years and Nord Stream-2 is one of the projects that the German government considers quite reasonable," said Ms. Fietz.

German Energy and Economic Affairs Minister Peter Altmaier also stressed that Russia's Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline project has proven itself to be a project aimed at ensuring security in the region.

"Nord Stream-2 has proven itself. Of course, compared to coal and gas, gas is a more ecologically friendly energy source... We have a growing demand for gas. Nord Stream-2 solves that need for Germany and for Europe," Minister Altmaier emphasized.

In the EU, there are currently a number of countries supporting the decision to realize Nord Stream 2, including Austria. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, in a meeting with President Putin on October 3, emphasized that the cooperative relationship between Austria and Russia is good and that Russia's cooperation with European countries on gas issues has helped ensure energy security on the continent.

However, a number of other European countries are not supporting this project. Countries such as Denmark, Moldova, Poland, Ukraine... are strongly against cooperation with Russia.

The views of these countries are that the Nord Stream 2 project is politically motivated. Russia's increased gas supply to Europe will make the EU dependent on Russia, tying the EU to "Moscow's political chariot".

The United States is the country that most strongly opposes this gas pipeline project. Washington itself believes that Moscow is not trustworthy and they do not want their allies to be in a situation of energy dependence on the enemy. Washington has threatened to sanction individuals, businesses, and economic organizations related to the Nord Stream 2 project. These actions of the United States have seriously deteriorated the relationship between them and Germany.

However, many experts believe that opposing Nord Stream 2 is one of the measures to help the US carry out its plan to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) at exorbitant prices to Europe in order to dominate this market and cut off Russia's large source of financial income.

Many German experts even believe that the US criticizes the EU or Germany for being dependent on Russia for energy, being tied down by Moscow and gradually losing its voice in political competitions. But in reality, it is the US that wants to tie Europe into an energy trap and overshadow the EU's role.