Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Jozef Síkela (for STAN) and German Minister of Economy and Climate Protection Robert Habeck have signed a cooperation agreement on energy security in Prague. Photo credit: Ministerstvo průmyslu a obchodu / FB
Czech Republic, July 14 (BD) – The Czech Republic and Germany will cooperate in the event of a gas supply disruption, and Habeck called on other EU countries to find mutual agreements. Sikela added that unity among EU countries, joint action against Russian aggression and solidarity are essential in the current energy crisis.
The two ministers agreed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is using energy as a weapon in an undeclared war. “Putin thought he would conquer Ukraine in a few days, (…) but he failed. He knows very well that if Europe continues to support Ukraine, he will eventually be defeated,” said Sikela.
Habeck admitted that Germany was strongly reliant on Russia for its gas supplies, which he described as a big political mistake. The country is now looking for new suppliers, and Habeck sees a solution in the two floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals the country is building.
Sikela said that solidarity is a mutual willingness of countries that are less dependent on Russia for some commodities to help those more dependent in case of shortages. Síkela said the two ministers are in frequent contact and share similar views on how to proceed in case of supply shortages. He added that specific measures are in place, without elaborating.
Regular maintenance began this week on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which runs under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany and is the main route for Russian gas supplies to the EU. The ministers did not want to speculate on concerns that Russia might cut off gas supplies through this route altogether. However, Sikela argued that they should prepare for this scenario as “Putin cannot be trusted.” He added that Czech gas storage facilities are currently 75% full.
