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Russia fears that Algeria will take away buyers of its gas in Europe

Gazprom headquarters in Saint Petersburg. / EP

The increase in supply from North Africa to Italy, Germany and other states worries Moscow, until now the main supplier of the market

The Russian press and sources close to the Russian energy giant Gazprom are echoing the intention of Italy and other European countries to increase gas imports from Algeria. There is concern that the Maghreb country will end up snatching Russia’s current hegemony in the European market and even that, in the medium-long term, it could even leave it out.

France does not buy Russian gas excessively, but Italy is the second largest buyer of this fuel from Gazprom in the European Union, after Germany. Last April, the Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, traveled to Algiers and agreed with the Algerian President, Abdelmadjid Tebboun, to increase imports of blue fuel by almost 50% (between 9,000 and 10,000 million cubic meters) by the end of of 2022.

Now, after the break with Spain, Algeria would be willing to export even more, not only to Italy but even to Germany and other European countries. This situation worries Moscow, despite the good relations it maintains with Algiers, since Rome does not hide that its objective is to completely get rid of the Russian energy supply in the coming years.

Russian gas represents 40% of the total consumed in Italy. That is, 29,000 million cubic meters per year. And, had it not been for the invasion of Ukraine, experts believe that the growth of Russian gas consumption in the EU would have continued. But now the fruitful cooperation existing for years between Gazprom and the Italian ENI could be called into question.

Germany is also strengthening its energy alliance with Algeria. The German Deputy Foreign Minister, Katja Keul, traveled to Algiers on Monday to sign various cooperation agreements and “consolidate” relations between Algeria and the European Union.

Friends since Soviet times

However, according to the Russian daily ‘Niezavísimaya Gazeta’, no one expects serious problems in relations between Algeria and Russia. “An increase in Algerian gas supplies to Italy is unlikely to overshadow relations between the North African country and Russia. The EU simply rejects Russian gas and, consequently, one cannot speak of direct competition between the two countries”, estimates Leonid Fituni, deputy director of the Institute of African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in statements to the newspaper.

In his opinion, “even if Moscow wanted to punish Algiers, it is unlikely to be able to do so (…) Russia is an important, but by no means the only, arms supplier to this North African state. Algeria is also rearming itself with the help of the United States, France and Italy itself». Fituni further stresses that “Algeria is not even highly dependent on Russian grain supplies.” The Kremlin is also confident that the North African country will not be able to cope with the task of totally replacing Russian gas in Europe.

In any case, relations between Moscow and Algiers have always been good, since Soviet times. Both countries have signed numerous agreements in the field of energy, including the coordination of their policies within the framework of OPEC, and military, especially with regard to arms sales. In May, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Algiers and was received by Tebboun, who has been invited by President Vladimir Putin to travel to Russia. Lavrov thanked the Algerian leader for his “balanced position in relation to the Ukraine crisis, resisting pressure from Washington.”

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