“The bad news is that we still need Russian gas,” Economy Minister Robert Habeck said after the Germany-Qatar agreement on long-term energy co-operation, stressing that no arms sales were discussed in Doha.
According to Robert Habeck, some German companies in the industry were already in negotiations with companies in Qatar, “but it still needed political impetus and we achieved that.” He clarified, however, that the details of the agreement are not yet clear.
Speaking last night on a show on German public television channel ARD, Mr Habek categorically denied when asked if Berlin had been asked to approve arms sales to Qatar in return. “The issue was not mentioned anywhere by Qatar,” he said, adding: “They do not want it to be just a temporary solution to a failed energy policy of the past. “Qatar is considered a building block of our strategy, which includes short-term, medium-term and long-term goals.” In the short term, he explained, liquefied natural gas (LNG) deliveries from Qatar will also help secure gas for next winter, while in the medium term, LNG from Qatar should reach scheduled terminals. “Correcting the mistakes of the last decades takes time. Strategic mistakes are not corrected in three weeks. “In the long run – and that is the big goal – Germany wants to get rid of fossil fuels completely.” Until then, he continued, we need a strategy to reduce gas. “It’s not something I like to say, but we will still need Russian gas temporarily,” he said, reiterating an energy embargo on Russian gas, “because the consequences will affect all citizens equally – in some areas would be cold, some work processes would collapse “.
Today (Monday) Robert Habeck is going to the United Arab Emirates for talks on green hydrogen, which is produced without CO2 emissions, based on renewable energy sources.
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