ISLAMABAD: Russia has expressed its desire to capture Pakistan’s gas market for exporting gas by laying offshore gas pipeline in the country.
The proposal came as Moscow fears losing markets in the European Union (EU) because of the ongoing tussle with the United States (US) and the European Union over the Ukraine issue.
Russia, a big exporter of gas to Europe and Turkey, had a record-breaking volume last year. The Russian gas giant Gazprom earlier this month signed a memorandum of understanding with Engineers India on conducting joint studies for a gas pipeline between Russia and India.
According to a Gazprom statement, the memorandum reflected the interest of parties in jointly identifying routes for the gas pipeline from Russia and elsewhere to India in addition to opportunities for cooperation in other areas.
Officials in the Gazprom said that Moscow conveyed to Islamabad that it wanted to build an offshore gas pipeline passing through Gwadar port to New Delhi to export gas and offered Pakistan to join this project.
“A high level delegation from the Russian Federation, led by State Secretary and Minister of Energy Yuri P Sentyurin and Deputy Chairman of Gazprom A Vitaly Markelov called on Pakistan’s Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in early April to discuss the proposal,” official added.
The Pakistani side had also expressed a desire to join this project. After signing the memorandum, the two countries would enter into another deal of pipeline project for gas trade.
