The other being restraining Iranian (shia) influence and assure protection of Israel by weaking Assad and Hezbullah...
Russia currently supplies Europe with a quarter of the gas it uses for heating, cooking, fuel and other activities. In fact 80 per cent of the gas that Russian state-controlled company Gazprom produces is sold to Europe, so maintaining this crucial market is very important.
Much of Russia’s gas comes from established pipelines used to transport gas to Europe cheaply. But America does not want Europe to depend on Russia for fuel since it has its own interest to sell its fracked/shale gas to Europe by cutting off Russia. It is building a LNG terminal in Virgina to transport shale gas in LNG form to Baltic states and therefore is building LNG receiving terminals in Europe. The idea is to cripple Russia economically as well. But this export attempt is going to take some time. So, in the meantime, an alternative has been cooked i.e. to bring Saudi-Qatari-Omanese gas via pipeline to Europe overland by laying pipelines on Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria and Turkey. The sticky point here is Syria which is where a compliant puppet ruler needs to be installed and as such the West-alliance war-cry for regime-change in Syria.
It is also interesting to note that US Vice-President Joe Biden's son has majority stake in shale gas exploration in East Ukraine and as such one of the reasons behind CIA-assisted coup in Ukraine.
Before the civil war, two competing pipelines put forward by Qatar and Iran aimed to transport gas to Europe through Syria.
Qatar’s plans were first put forward in 2009 and involved building a pipeline from the Persian Gulf via Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Turkey.
The gas field located 3000 metres below the floor of the Persian Gulf is the largest natural gas field in the world. Qatar owns about two-thirds of the resource but can’t capitalise on it fully because it relies on tankers to deliver it to other countries and this makes its gas more expensive than Russia’s.
In the meantime Iran, which owns the other smaller, share of the Persian Gulf gas field, decided to lodge its own rival plan for a $10 billion pipeline to Europe via Iraq and Syria and then under the Mediterranean Sea.
Assad signed off on the Iran plan in 2012 and it was due to be completed in 2016 but it was ultimately delayed because of the Arab Spring and the civil war.
Many countries supporting or opposing the war against Assad have links to these pipeline plans.
Failed pipeline bidder Qatar is funding anti-Assad rebel groups by $3 billion between 2011 and 2013 as has been Saudi Arabia.
The rival pipelines are influencing the conflict in Syria.
“Viewed through a geopolitical and economic lens, the conflict in Syria is not a civil war, but the result of larger international players positioning themselves on the geopolitical chessboard in preparation for the opening of the pipeline,” he noted.
Just as the 2003 Iraq War has been linked to oil in the Persian Gulf, Syria may turn out to be all about gas.
Turkey, which stands at the crossroads of Asia and Europe, is an aspiring member of the European Union, and some consider it to be the best option for facilitating the movement of gas supplies from the Middle East to Europe.
As a hub, Turkey would benefit from transit fees and other energy-generated revenues.
It could also insure, with US support, that all gas suppliers in the Middle East could freely export their product.
Qatar’s plans put Turkey at the centre of its plan.
As one of the countries relying on Russia for gas, freeing it from this dependence would be an added bonus.
But none of this can be realised if the pipeline bypasses Turkey and if Assad becomes instrumental in approving an alternative that does not involve it.
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| Gas pipelines in Europe |
Much of Russia’s gas comes from established pipelines used to transport gas to Europe cheaply. But America does not want Europe to depend on Russia for fuel since it has its own interest to sell its fracked/shale gas to Europe by cutting off Russia. It is building a LNG terminal in Virgina to transport shale gas in LNG form to Baltic states and therefore is building LNG receiving terminals in Europe. The idea is to cripple Russia economically as well. But this export attempt is going to take some time. So, in the meantime, an alternative has been cooked i.e. to bring Saudi-Qatari-Omanese gas via pipeline to Europe overland by laying pipelines on Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria and Turkey. The sticky point here is Syria which is where a compliant puppet ruler needs to be installed and as such the West-alliance war-cry for regime-change in Syria.
It is also interesting to note that US Vice-President Joe Biden's son has majority stake in shale gas exploration in East Ukraine and as such one of the reasons behind CIA-assisted coup in Ukraine.
Before the civil war, two competing pipelines put forward by Qatar and Iran aimed to transport gas to Europe through Syria.
Qatar’s plans were first put forward in 2009 and involved building a pipeline from the Persian Gulf via Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Turkey.
The gas field located 3000 metres below the floor of the Persian Gulf is the largest natural gas field in the world. Qatar owns about two-thirds of the resource but can’t capitalise on it fully because it relies on tankers to deliver it to other countries and this makes its gas more expensive than Russia’s.
 |
| The proposed gas pipeline from Qatar via Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Turkey to Europe |
In the meantime Iran, which owns the other smaller, share of the Persian Gulf gas field, decided to lodge its own rival plan for a $10 billion pipeline to Europe via Iraq and Syria and then under the Mediterranean Sea.
 |
| Pipeline from Iran via Iraq and Syria to Europe |
Many countries supporting or opposing the war against Assad have links to these pipeline plans.
Failed pipeline bidder Qatar is funding anti-Assad rebel groups by $3 billion between 2011 and 2013 as has been Saudi Arabia.
The rival pipelines are influencing the conflict in Syria.
“Viewed through a geopolitical and economic lens, the conflict in Syria is not a civil war, but the result of larger international players positioning themselves on the geopolitical chessboard in preparation for the opening of the pipeline,” he noted.
Just as the 2003 Iraq War has been linked to oil in the Persian Gulf, Syria may turn out to be all about gas.
Turkey, which stands at the crossroads of Asia and Europe, is an aspiring member of the European Union, and some consider it to be the best option for facilitating the movement of gas supplies from the Middle East to Europe.
As a hub, Turkey would benefit from transit fees and other energy-generated revenues.
It could also insure, with US support, that all gas suppliers in the Middle East could freely export their product.
Qatar’s plans put Turkey at the centre of its plan.
As one of the countries relying on Russia for gas, freeing it from this dependence would be an added bonus.
But none of this can be realised if the pipeline bypasses Turkey and if Assad becomes instrumental in approving an alternative that does not involve it.
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