By Vestnik Kavkaza
The riots in Macedonia are considered by Moscow to be a result of the Macedonian government’s rejection of joining the sanctions against Russia and its active support for the construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, against which many forces in Brussels and the US stand. “We cannot get rid of the feeling that there is a connection between these events. We supported the activities of the Macedonian authorities and call for a dialogue without anti-constitutional steps,” Sergei Lavrov, the Foreign Minister of Russia, said.
Speaking about the opportunities to implement the Turkish Stream, considering the recent events in the Balkans, Lavrov stressed: “Russia doesn’t impose anything on anyone. We make our offers on the basis of our capabilities and agreements reached with Turkey. We feel interest from Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary, and other countries of the region. I think the main thing today is to consider practical aspects from the point of view of logistics and financing. Representatives of corresponding states, who are responsible for energy (gas) cooperation, are dealing with this at the moment. If Europe is striving for energy security, Brussels should support the talks and contribute to the fulfillment of the ideas.”
Meanwhile, Alexei Mukhin, the Director General of the Political Information Center, told Vestnik Kavkaza that “the uncompromising attitude of the European commission, some political consequences which appeared in Europe due to the American pressure as a result of anti-Russian sanctions – all these factors create a set of problems which seem to be unsolvable.”
However, according to Mukhin, the situation is simple: “If consumers start to get cold, it will go hard with the European Commission, bureaucratic Brussels, national governments who have made a reasonless decision. I mean maneuvers by Bulgaria in recent months: at first it signed all the documents on implementation of the South Stream, later it rejected the project.”
According to the expert, “the Turkish stream is a Plan B which is inevitable. The Turkish Stream is very inconvenient for the EU, as it changes the dependence of Europe on Russian gas to dependence on Ankara. The Turks are very difficult to make an agreement with; the Europeans know this well. That’s why Turkey has been standing in front of the EU’s membership for many years. I think the mental and moral factor of pressure by Russia on the EU will work in the end. And probably we will return to the South Stream.”
