Germany closed an energy deal with Qatar to reduce its dependence on Russian gas

Germany and Qatar reached a long-term energy partnership agreement, a German official announced Sunday, while Europe's largest economy seeks to be less dependent on Russian energy sources.

“During the meeting they reviewed relations between the two countries and ways to strengthen and develop them in various fields, especially in the field of energy,” explained the official Qatari press agency, QNA, which did not elaborate on the meeting between German Economy Minister Robert Habeck and the Emir of the State , Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Zani.

Russia is Germany's largest gas supplier and Economy Minister Robert Habeck has launched several initiatives to reduce the country's energy dependence on Moscow following the invasion of Ukraine.

The emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, received Habeck on Sunday and the two discussed ways to improve bilateral relations, particularly in the energy sector, Qatari sources said.

A spokesman for the German Ministry of Economy in Berlin, meanwhile, confirmed that an agreement had been concluded.

“Companies that have come to Qatar (with Habeck) will now enter into contract negotiations with the Qatari side,” the spokesman said.

Habeck also met with Qatar's Minister of Energy Affairs, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, in Doha, where they discussed energy relations and cooperation between the parties, as well as ways to improve them.

Habeck's trip to Doha, which will follow with a visit to neighboring United Arab Emirates (UAE), comes just days after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's visit to Saudi Arabia and the UAE in search of alternatives to Russian hydrocarbons.

Ahead of his trip to Qatar, the German minister said in a statement on Friday that “energy security will focus the trip” to the two Arab countries, which will last until Monday, and highlighted the need to “promote a global energy transition and, currently, advance the diversification of natural gas sources.”

He also stressed that “we need temporarily and in the short term more liquefied natural gas and we want to land it in German terminals”, and considered that the best way to do this is in an international alliance, for which the partners in Qatar and the UAE are “of central importance”.

Qatar is a key player in the energy market as one of the world's leading natural gas exporters, while the UAE is one of the main members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), as well as the alliance that groups it with 10 external producers, including Russia, called OPEC+.

The Gulf country is also one of the three largest exporters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the world.

The European Union (EU), particularly Germany, is seeking other sources of Russian natural gas since Russia's war against Ukraine began on February 24, and hopes that its Arab partners in the Persian Gulf, especially Qatar, will be the alternative.

With information from Reuters and EFE

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