By threatening to stop gas delivery to the West, Belarus is playing a dangerous game that could potentially blow up in its face, Damien Ernst, energy expert and engineering professor at the University of Liege, told Sputnik
BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st December, 2021) By threatening to stop gas delivery to the West, Belarus is playing a dangerous game that could potentially blow up in its face, Damien Ernst, energy expert and engineering professor at the University of Liege, told Sputnik.
In November, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko threatened to cut off the Yamal Europe gas pipeline as payback for potential EU sanctions. Earlier this Wednesday, the president reiterated in an interview with RIA Novosti his readiness to halt the transit of energy resources to Europe in the event Poland fulfills its threats on the closure of the border amid the migration crisis.
"Cutting gas delivery via the Yamal pipeline is a serious threat from Belarus, but the regime also has a lot to lose: Belarus receives rights of passage for the Russian gas in hard Currency, roughly EUR 1 billion ($1.1 billion) and the loss of this return for a country as isolated as Belarus would badly hurt it," Ernst said.
At the same, Minsk's warnings may prove to be a stroke of good fortune for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which is awaiting certification in Germany.
"The threats voiced by the Lukashenko regime in Minsk, to close the delivery of Russian gas through the Yamal pipeline could have a ricochet effect for Nord Stream 2, still waiting for its certification by German authorities. It is certainly a stimulus to speed up the process," Ernst explained.
The 2,000 kilometer (1,242 mile) long Yamal-Europe gas pipeline is one of the main routes of Russian gas supply to Europe. It passes through the territory of four countries � Russia, Belarus, Poland and Germany � and has a capacity of up to 33 billion cubic meters of gas per year.�
