Russia and the United States willing to cooperate on energy matters

/ Policy & Regulations / Sunday, 23 September 2018 09:09

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and his US counterpart Rick Perry have shown their willingness to cooperate further to ensure global energy security at a meeting in Moscow.

“Russia-US relations have not been very good, but our countries are the main energy powers guaranteeing the security of the world, and we can only by joint efforts to meet the growing energy demand in the world," said Novak, quoted by Russian agencies.

“It is very important to the world that as great powers, we work together," said the US Secretary of Energy, on the occasion of a rare visit by an American minister to Moscow.

Rick Perry nevertheless called on Russia "to have a responsible position, to be a responsible energy supplier and not to let energy resources influence politics”.

“I am pleased that we have a similar view that energy should not be an instrument of pressure, and that consumers should have the right to choose their source of supply,” said Novak.

The two men seemed to be referring to the dispute between the two countries over the proposed North Stream 2 gas pipeline, repeatedly criticized by US President Donald Trump.

The gas pipeline, which the Russian gas group Gazprom hopes to commission by the end of 2019, must double the delivery capacity between Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea, thus avoiding routing via Ukraine.

“We are against Nord Stream 2,” said Rick Perry. “But I'm sure we'll find common ground to make the world a better place.”

Rick Perry also said that the United States would like to cooperate with Russia in the field of nuclear energy, to ensure its use for “peaceful” purposes.

“One of our priorities is to restore the working group on energy of the Russian-American bilateral commission,” said Alexander Novak, saying that the foundations “were laid by our presidents”.

“An open dialogue will help get our relations out of an artificial deadlock,” added the Russian minister, who had already met Rick Perry in June in Washington. Alexander Novak also invited his counterpart to an energy forum to be held in Moscow in early October.

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