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Russia Rushes To Seal Ukraine-Bypassing Gas Pipeline: Lavrov Pays Bulgaria A Visit
As we remarked two weeks ago, when observing the recent developments surrounding the suddenly all-important South Stream gas pipeline bypassing Ukraine entirely, and instead traversing the Black Sea before crossing Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary and terminating in the Austrian central European gas hub of Baumgarten, we said that all of Europe is suddenly focused on if and how Russia will make headway with a project that may be the most important one for not only Europe's energy future but the impact Russia will continue to have over Germany et al. And of course, Ukraine. Because should Russia find a way to completely bypass Kiev as a traditional transit hub for Russian gas, it would make the country, and its ongoing civil war, completely irrelevant not only for Russia, but worse, for Europe, the IMF, and Ukraine's staunch western "supporters and allies" as well.
Showing just how Europe perceives the Russian "South Stream" threat was a comment from a recent NYT article, in which Günther Oettinger, Europe’s top energy official, was quoted as saying that the Ukraine crisis “has slowed down our progress on South Stream considerably... We can’t just give in to the Russians every time.” Alas, since the Russians control the all important gas, Europe has zero choice.
This explains why even as the western media finally remembered over the weekend there was a Ukraine civil war going on following an advance by the Kiev army to retake some rebel strongholds in the Donbas region, with some wondering what if anything Putin would do in retaliation, what Putin, or rather his envoy Sergei Lavrov were actually doing, was completely ignoring the Ukraine situation (where the West has long since conceded the loss of Crimea to the Kremlin) and instead focusing on securing the successful launch of the South Stream (remember: the second South Stream goes online, Ukraine becomes irrelevant). And since Russia already signed another historic agreement with Austria in June, which positioned the AAA-country (with some surprising emerging bank troubles subsequently) squarely against its fellow European peers, it was the turn of the other South Stream countries, namely Bulgaria.
As Reuters reported, all construction timelines for the South Stream pipeline are on track and the European Union should restart talks about the project, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on a visit to Bulgaria on Monday.
Bulgaria has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Russian-backed project, whose construction has stoked tensions between the West and Moscow, especially in the wake of Russia's annexation of Crimea.
But Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski's government suspended work last month on its section of the pipeline at the behest of Brussels, pending a ruling on whether the project violates EU law.
Which maybe sheds some light on why in June Bulgaria also experienced the biggest bank run in 17 years, culminating with the nationalization of the 4th largest bank, and also led to the president announcing his early resignation.
So in the Bulgarian power vacuum, the domestic foreign minister Kristian Vigenin said that the "pipeline is of interest to EU, its construction must comply with European laws" during a briefing with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. He also said that Bulgaria seeks a quick resumption of South Stream, something which means Europe will have to try harder in its try to prevent a pipeline bypassing its now very substantial Ukraine investment.
Lavrov added that South Stream agreements were signed long ago, before EU adopted unbundling legislation; such laws can’t be retroactively applied. The Russian foreign minister said Russia expects EU to apply single standards to all pipelines.
And since it is not just Bulgaria but Serbia, we also got this:
- RUSSIA, SERBIA MAY SIGN SOUTH STREAM PACT IN DAYS: MEDVEDEV
And from Itar-Tass:
Gas can run through Kosovo by the South Stream pipeline, according to materials, timed to Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic’s visit to Russia.
“An issue is being studied to create a network in Kosovo based on long-term contracts on Russian natural gas supplies,” the materials say.
Two branches are planning to be built - to Serbian Republic and Croatia, the materials say.
At present, Russia’s-led South Stream gas branch is expected to run through Macedonia. The Serbian leadership upheld this idea.
South Stream is Gazprom’s global infrastructure project for the construction of a gas pipeline that will run via the bottom of the Black Sea to the countries of Southern and Central Europe with an aim to diversify routes for exporting natural gas and exclude transit risks. The ground section of the South Stream pipeline will run across Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia, and Austria. The designed capacity of the pipeline is 63 billion cubic metres. The pipeline is planned to be commissioned in late 2015.
In other words, the great cold war 2.0 fight for Russian sphere of influence in Eastern Europe is on. Because while on one hand we reported that during the weekend, it was none other than France which vocally came out against US Dollar hegemony and thus was forced to gravitate toward the Eurasian (China/Russian) camp, it is the events in Eastern Europe in the next several months that will define European energy geopolitics for the decades to come.
Look for many more fireworks in Bulgaria and the other South Stream countries over the coming weeks as the fate of the South Stream is determined behind the scenes.
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South Stream.... info
http://www.south-stream.info/en/
Putin: Queen to King 2
For most current news on the Ukrainian Geopolitical play, see http://vineyardsaker.blogspot.com/
Fun fact: The word Bulgaria originates from the word Volga. You know, that big river many Russian cities are situated on.
another fun fact: the Bulgarian_Empire was twice the key player of the region. once, Russia and the Byzantines had their hands in it's demise. the other time, the Mongol hordes
The poor Ukrainians are screwed just about any way you slice it.. again.
At least they have their US backed Nazi’s to comfort them.
They are like the lovable ones on “Hogan’s Heroes”, aren’t they?
Or are they like the mischievous ones in Illinois from “Blues Brothers”?
I wonder if the political leadership of Bulgaria and Austria have read "confessions of an economic Hitman"?
America desperate for war to deflect responsibility from its financial malfeasance. Fine France -BNP-, steal Germany's gold. Spy on them both. Instigate Uktainian war. Blame Putin, blame Russia. Train ISIS in Jordan. Blame Muslims. America ruins the world to rule it.
Well, America got it. The problem for them (I'm from Europe), it is actually a financial-economical-informational war, which is on for at least 5 years.
America has been hijacked via its government and media.
It is run by an Oligarchy, that got there via a hierarchy of leveraged takeovers, accompanied by the propaganda of the MSM and lulled into comfortable numbness by its infotainment business.
We've become willfully fat, lazy, uninformed and scared, and deserve the government we got.
Years from now our children and grandchildren will ask us what WE did about it... besides 'Nothing' or just vent our rage on blog sites, rather than organize and march.
not just America has been hijacked, the vast majority of the world.
"The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles"
I hate Illinois Nazis.
The US has modified their diplomatic cookie recipes to include marijuana.....
"look for more fireworks in Bulgaria"
How about look for more fireworks everywhere in the World... it will be tougher to pick the countries without fireworks ... it is the technology stupid!
I guess after Lavrov is always Kerry .... then they start negotiating ... come up with a peace piece of paper which will hold one week ... then game on again ....
yeah right .. it is those cycles - what am i thinking ???
It actually comes from the Bulgar tribe that conquered the region from the Byzantine empire. They came through southern Russia/Ukraine/Crimea before settling in Bulgaria and mixing with the Slavic and Tracian/Hellinic tribes in the region. The word Bulgar is also know to mean one of mixed origins, due to the heterogenous nature of the southern Balkans.
Balkanization.. bad for the Balkans.. good for the US.. bad for Ukraine.. good for Iraq and Palestine?
And if Scotland votes for independence will the US push the UK to deal with Scotland like it is pushing Kiev to deal with East Ukraine?
re: Bulgar tribe, and it meaning 'mixed'. Yes, thats one theory.
But tell me why were there 'Volga Bulgarians' then?
If you are upset by my version, you will be very upset to hear I don't think the Huns originated in Hungary (but did pass through and settle there), nor did the Mongols originate in Mongolia (but did graze there before raiding in the Far East).
The only thing that upsets me about the origin of peoples is that most refuse to acknowledge that Obama is not a natural born citizen and that he continues to dictate even after presenting a proven forgery of a birth document.
That is not grounds for a law suit or impeachment, it is grounds for arrest.
*facepalm*
And Turkeys didn't originate in Turkey either.
I'm 99.9% certain that I don't have to read the blogs below, to know that no one will have noticed the obvious: With this path (via Serbia), any US/Saudi attempts for a pipeline from the ME via Turkey, would also have to go via Serbia.
IOW, the Ruskies have "cut them off at the pass". Nicely, played... 3 moves ahead: "Discovered Check".
Bulgaria, a NATO member,
part of the so-called "missile shield", with US troops stationed on its soil,
with some EU members subservient to US-made policies,
will be under considerable pressure to renege on the pipeline contract with Russia,
no matter how beneficial it might be to Bulgaria (and other EU members).
Maybe the US can just offer some IMF loans and pro-"democracy" military "aid",
like was given to Kiev.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/gas-pipeline-wars-the-eu-threatens-to-obstr...
Romania sitting there like "what are we? Chopped liver?"
How did they get "bypassed" along with Ukraine?
geography, Black Sea bottom's topography, the fact that Romania is a Latin country while Russia is a "pan-Slavic protector", Bulgaria's notorious pride and... Transsinistria
Its right there in the name, Romania. Rome. Roman. In this case, Constantinople, the Capital of the Eastern Roman empire, Byzantine Empire, then Ottoman Empire.
Constantinople was referred to as the 'New Rome'.
Reading up your ancient history, you will find that the tribes who lived in what we now call Romania were among the fiercest opponents to Roman expansion in the later Republican period. However, they went on to become become amongst Romes most ardent suppiorters, and provided great numbers of men to Legions and auxiliary forces. Hence the namwe handed down to us.
Perhaps Russia is displeased with them?
http://www.stripes.com/news/us-transit-hub-in-romania-fully-operational-1.270655
Mountains and vampires.
And Danube river.
Either way it's cut, the US will never have a light sweet crude pipline passing into it, tar sands be damned. $200/b oil is going to suck for obese Americans who will have to walk suburbia in search of food for the first time.
I remember many poor little villages all across europe where the shops... drove to the people. even little pick-up sized trucks, in some you could even enter one side, shop through, pay and exit on the other entrance of a bus-sized shop. and people could order their needs for the next day. some are still seen, I'm told, in Switzerland and in parts of France
this "either the suburbanite can drive or she is dead, dead, dead" apocalyptic vision is tiring. if it's too expensive to shop personally... well, what about the internet and delivery services?
We still have them here in Belgium, small trucks that serve as driving shops.
And small neighbourhood shops are coming back, slowly but surely and they sometimes do home delivery.
How does the taxman keep up with them? Are they operated by locals or north Africans or eastern Mediterranean immigrants?
Northern Italy was like that last time I was there about 10 years ago. Small corner shops with fresh food. People shop in them usually a few times a week and have small refrigs. Fresh food without GMO and other shit like USA poison.
Back in the 60's there were local bread and milk trucks that made a twice a week delivery when stay at home Moms and single car families were common.
Might become common again if gas prices rise too high to afford two car families.
MILF trucks.
Nah, everyone will go online and order their pallet of government cheese which will then be air dropped in the next day by a C-130.
3 words, Soulio:
Pizza delivery drones.
Dassright.
Already done that....
First commercial drone pizza delivery Dodo Pizza
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l22FmvEysA
It will be interesting to see how replenished the underground nat gas storage supply will be this fall; less than 1TCF after last winter.
If gas gets too expensive, just get yourself a small motorbike or scooter and a big backpack. People in some countries pay the equivalent of $8 per gallon for gas (due to taxes); they get along. Save your car or truck for when you really need it to haul something big.
Here where I sit in southern England it's around £1.29/litre for petrol (gas) or £1.33/lite for diesel, call it around £6 a gallon (Imperial). So that is why I am very happy in my Focus Econetic, getting - I can barely believe it myself - 74mpg average. Just stick to the shifting advice it gives, and keep off the loud pedal. Unbe-fucking-lievable, but true. It's why I sold my Trans-Am, and why I'm so very glad my Zil runs on contam (free, recovered from the tanks of poor sods who misfuel their cars, duty paid and legal). Which means the 74mpg Focus costs more to run than the 7.5 tonne V8 Zil. Funny old world.
But looking at that Focus, in a way it's not a great help - it just perpetuates the internal combustion engine and lets HMG put up fuel duty to eye-watering levels on a commodity that will now be around much longer. So now I'm grumpy again, bugger!
It must be tough for the Serbs, Croats, Bulgarians, etc. to decide who they want to align with - 'let's see, we can either get a natural gas pipeline from the Russians, or we can get repeatedly sodomized by the ECB and IMF, and have our banking system threatened every time we show the slightest hint of independent action... what to do, what to do...'
What sucks equally as bad as the" repeated sodomizing " is having the decision made for you!
'When We Want Your Decision, We'll Make It For You'
None of these podunk tiny nationalities should be sovereign nations. They need to cooperate, merge, and become one entity. Maybe then they could exercise some leverage.
You can't put a little girl in a golf match with Rory McIlroy expect a good result for her.
Too many tiny principalities value their 'independence' above all else to the detriment of themselves, their children and the futures of all.
Not that they should be a part of a 20 nation hodgepodge of the EU or the U.S. wherein vastly different entities are assembled that do not belong to each other. e.g.What in hell is Montana doing in a merger of Connecticut and Florida?
But a reasonably well thought out merger of these---basically boroughs----is a better strategy than what they are now trying to do alone.
go tell (this to) the Spartans...
You mean the Greeks? I guess you are reinforcing his point.
"Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here, obedient to their laws, we lie"
This was written on an epithaph remembering how the 300 fought until death... so that their allies, other small nations, would win their battle, and so the common war against the Persian Empire
clear enough?
Sorry...my bad. Thought you meant when Sparta was defeated by Rome and then when their descendants were defeated by the European Union.
Promise me that you're being ironic, please!
I think that the Serbs and Croats already tried a united State...I don't think that it ended very well.
Good idea, why not call it Yugoslavia?
Post of the day!!!!
WTF? These little countries should have their own sovereignty and should be out of the EU-SSR.
Rory? Depends on the week. If he is in love or out of love with anew or old girlfriend he can play really well or be awful. So yeah = a little girl like those Chinese phenoms might beat him.
The best thing for Amerika is to break apart.
@Comte d'Herblay: "None of these podunk tiny nationalities should be sovereign nations. They need to cooperate, merge, and become one entity. Maybe then they could exercise some leverage".
Go tell that to Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Monaco, Hong Kong, Singapore. Maybe they too should merge, using your reasoning.
All of these are were carved out of a bigger country, FBO of The 1%. Just ask the Brits: They're good at it, and had a hand in many of these slice 'em, dice 'em plays, due to the foresight, greed and ambition of its Aristocracy and Rothschild banksters. They were playing the NWO game long before the Yanks came along. These same sociopathic gangsters are now simply leveraging the US for its globalist dirty work, and won't be stopped until someone stops the Anglo-American-Zionist Alliance.
Coming are the Ukrainian Winters of Discontent
Also coming is the media not caring or reporting what happens in Ukraine. Once there is a new path for the Spice to flow, nobody cares what happens with the troubles along the old path.
"In other words, the great cold war 2.0 fight for Russian sphere of influence in Eastern Europe is on"
cold war is the wrong term, imho. a key ingredient is missing, i.e. a great arms race (not for lack of trying on the side of the MIC)
19th century "Great Game" is a more accurate, including this jockeyng for economic spheres of influence
interestingly, for all it's faults, the architecture of the EU is better suited to this kind of conflict... as seen by the Russian buildup of a concurrent Eurasian "Union"
Nuland's "Fuck the EU" just shows that she and the other US envoys are still living in the 20th
And the poor bastards in Ukriane go back to the stoneage. Sadly some of the people there actually think they are going to get something out of cosying up to the EU. They will get nothing but shit sandwiches.
bombdog, Ukraine wants the same deal as Poland, the Baltic Nations, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria
if that deal is so bad, why do you think the others are still members of the club of sovereigns called EU?
some of this anti-EU propaganda is becoming silly. no, it's not perfect. but no, a lot of this stuff is puerile agit-prop
fuck off eussr troll, most of us want out of the eu dictatorship.
They may want it but the EU can't afford it. Then, if the UK were to leave there would be a GIGANTIC hole in the funding of the EU.
didn't Maggie Tatcher hit the table with her bag?
paddy, paddy, "most of us"? may I remind you that the Irish people had several constitutional amendment referenda in the last years in order to access to new EU treaties?
go back here and check on the 3rd, the 10th, the 11th, the 18th, the 23rd, the 26th, the 28th (on which you voted twice, the second time with yes after several changes in the original wording) and the 30th (my favourite)
Amendments_to_the_Constitution_of_Ireland#The_European_Union
are you really Irish? or just a troll wanting to say fuck off... grumble grumble "eu dictatorship"?
"most of us" my hat
Oh yeah... and if you vote the wrong way Paddy you need to vote again until you give the correct answer :-)
that's the 28th, and it's still poisoning the well. how about all the frigging others? and the later 30th, which is the one which spells the "live within your means"? explain me that
@Ghordius,
It's a pity that the politicians didn't live within their means after they joined the "free money club " that they thought the EU was going to be.
You mean "live withing your means" and don't buy any or those German cars or airports, roads, "financial products", housing tracts or other scams sold to the dumb Irish by the fast talkers from Brussels and London? "Living within your means" might mean buying an Asian car rather than an EU one, eh?
This bullshit of the average Irishman and his descendants for the next couple hundred years needing to guaranty the payment of loans made for all this shit is a crime against humanity. The English, the French and the German bankers and factory owners should have taken the risk of default when they sold all this junk to Paddy. It's just another version of The Great Famine. The English get fucking rich, the Irish starve.
I just happen to remember the executive's phone conference call regarding Anglo-Irish, and how happy they were that Ireland would pay for their Irish banker follies... with new debt in the tune of frigging 60% of GDP
sorry, this time it was a crime of Irishmen on Irish people
what I mean is the Thirtieth_Amendment_of_the_Constitution_of_Ireland referendum which was the ratification of the European_Fiscal_Compact. This is the "live within your means" compact I was talking about
"sorry, this time it was a crime of Irishmen on Irish people"
Bullshit! Absolutely fucking bullshit!
Those criminal Irishmen needed support from outside Ireland and they had plenty of help from London and Brussels. Somebody had to provide the money. It wasn't the Irish. And the English and EU "financiers" were not so stupid that they could not see what was the likely result of their enabling loans.
The English also had some Irishmen on the payroll during the Great Famine, just as Mossad, CIA, and MI6 have local support in their terrorist operations.
Just because a few Iranians helped the CIA, MI6 and BP with their Mosaddeq problem in 1953, does that mean that that was crime of Iranians against the Irianian people? I think not!
Most English, by far, are not and were not co-conspirators in stealing the last morsel from the Irish.
A small point of history often overlooked or unknown is that Kermit Roosevelt's CIA coup plan against Mossedegh was a failure.
The paid rioters did not mobilize the expected crowds and stood down but in the meantime the sizeable pro-Soviet faction of Iranians who objected to the moderate Mossedegh took to the streets in large numbers and the Army, in a bid to restore order, placed him under arrest.
Seeing a last minute opportunity, the CIA flew in the reluctant and terrified Shah and spread the money thickly among the top military officers and a new regime was born.
A last minute hail Mary pass that paid off for Britain's oil interests in Iran.
All detailed in Tim Weiner's excellent 'Legacy of Ashes- A History of the CIA.'
Because they had a better deal with Russia before all of this kicked off and their industries in the East were functional. Now that have nothing but a divided country and no propects. They got some disaster capitalism basically. There was a reasonable chance of compromise, there was an actual compromise made in fact but that wasn't good enough for somebody and I seem to recall some people in a square dropping dead. If you want to know about that maybe you should ask Cathy Ashton who done it, gosh! see if they figured it out yet.
Poland et al have nothing to do with deciding what is the best choice for Ukraine. If you look impartially at what they could have it's easy to see they have been screwed. They have nothing coming now but cold winters. And for what? For a fucking political game.
I'm not sure I understand your argument. Poland et al are members of the EU, too. they have votes in both Council and Parliament
tell me if there is any part of this planet - outside of the fantasies of some - which is not subject to "fucking political games"
Why are you diverting this argument? What is it you don't get? Tell us all what Ukriane gets from this!!
I tell you ... they get fuck all squared.
@bombdog,
They get stuffed by a bunch of unelected welfare socialist dictators who don't give a fuck what happens as long as their US puppet masters are OK with it.
Oligarch welfare that is, there's not much social welfare if you can't even heat your house. Who cares what we think anyway?.. Come winter we'll see just how the people of Ukraine feel about the new regime. The new legitimate government, EU approved.
bombdog, did you ever got the Russian version of this story? here, an executive summary for you: "Ukraine, stop stealing our transit gas"
this "get fuck all squared" is that Russia wants to bypass Ukraine, remember? they think they have a few reasons to do that, and... just happened to grab Crimea in the process
meanwhile the EU is trying to make sure that nobody has "the power of the spigot", aka monopoly on goods and services, by trying to enforce an european market for gas, with separate pipeline business open to all producers, and a request to Russia to stop allowing monopolies
meanwhile, the Ukrainian people would like to access the EU... for jobs. and prosperity. which then leads me again to: what about the other eastern countries? are they living in hell squared? do they want to leave?
Now that's a bit more measured, like leading to your point rather than diverting the subject altogther. You're absolutely right that the (western) Ukrainians want access, and you were right about Irish voting to amend their constitution too. I can't say it's a good thing, but those turkeys just love voting for Christmas! In the case of Ireland, at least they had an economic boom to show for it. In the case of Ukriane those young people in the west of the country probably think they will get access to your beloved Schengen area. Poor bastards, all of them. They got nothing coming to them.
More like Crimea grabbed Russia.
Fair words, but with or without South Stream, Russia has the "power of the spigot". It just happens to have a tighter leash on downstream if it has South Stream.
"tell me if there is any part of this planet - outside of the fantasies of some - which is not subject to "fucking political games""
And there's the rub Ghordius, you're nothing but a moral relativist. There's nothing these clowns do you won't swallow whole and try justify with these kinds of arguments. I expect they are paying you for coming on here, and if they are not they bloody well should.
you don't mix nations, sovereigns and absolute morality. better: if you do, you become a... scoundrel. with a flag as your last refuge
What kind of crap response is that? Try harder.
They want those EU passports. Since the fall of the USSR and the incorporation of former Eastern Bloc countries, the EU passport has been the safety value for the regimes in the East. Moldovia has almost 25% of its population working abroad, Bulgaria 14%, Latvia 15%. These are countries with small populations. The Ukraine has almost 50 million. I don't see them getting an EU passport soon, if ever.
The same deal that Poland, the Baltics, Hungary etc is not on offer to the Ukies Ghordius. See Michael Hudson's article;
http://michael-hudson.com/2014/07/ukraine-bureaucratic-bliss/
... but without the bread. Tough deal, but they should have done a few background checks on their new partners before getting into bed with them.
"Nuland's "Fuck the EU" just shows that she and the other US envoys are still living in the 20th"
Precisely that. They don't understand the power of the spigot.
Given what is now known,
the Cold War arms race was always a one-sided affair,
with a lot of deliberate exaggeration of military "threats",
and lots of dirty warfare (read Gladio- The Pentagon-NATO-Mafia Terror Axis by R. Cottrell).
Seems pretty much the same now, with a mostly one-sided terror axis.
You are spot on rwe! Had several after dinner talks with a MacArthur widow [MacArthur Foundation]. She had good stories of Rooskie Ambassadors in the 1970's saying thanks for the trucks and bulldozers. Russian Embassy was a lot of red walls and big hammer and sickle murals.
gonna be a long cold winter .
I believe i heard the comment, putin playing chess and obamas playin checkers
Now is outdoors...Sambo master vs somebody's eurofags
Obama playing marbles, and he has lost most of the few he started with.
They will be lucky. The Greeks Spaniards Portuguese and French have nearly eaten all the good stuff
Looks like a slick move by Lavrov to "reverse Baumgarten" shares in Gazprom.
the italians invented spaghetti, the NSA the underwater "peeping tom" cables around the world and Gazprom has now invented "the north-south streams"; what a dream.
All we need is the Oligarchs to invent the "seal your lips" universal CREAM (courtesy of Quasimodo-Vous le valez bien or Max bloody Factor who rings twice)...to keep you from imitating Edward Munch's SCREAM.
China invented spagetti... Italy invented Sophia Loren.
Both are best when eaten young.
Brilliant
doodle you do noodle...
Looks like Serbia and Hungary need to be FREEDOM'D!
It seems like the US/EU are going to find a way to stop this pipeline, no?
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/01/business/international/south-stream-pi...
Although - it doesn't seem like they've settled on the "reason" yet.
Our ambassador, Marcie Berman Ries - is agin' it...
The message is clear: Putin - huylo!
What I don't get is how it is Europe's interest to block the south stream pipeline. This statement seems idiotic, it is like saying it is a man's interest to shoot himself in the foot.
USA has bought Europe parlament and some high ranker goverment workers...like Draghi from ECB or Polish president, or blackmail another. They have USA passports so they don't care about Europe.
So let me get this right...all from ZH today:
China has bought the Fed
The US has bought parliament and
The CIA caused all of the Ukraine's woes along with their Nazi cohorts.
looks like you watch too much ruskie TV, not good for your health
Sounds more like stuff from Max Keiser, who loathes EU banking and government (redundancy, sorry).
Yes Kowalli, Polish Pres Tusk is a bankster lackey. His predecessor was for Poland but his plane crashed in Rus.
Make perfect sense, it is Europe.
My take on this is that Europe knows it needs the South Stream pipeline to by-pass Ukraine but it's under a lot of pressure from Washington not to agree with it. So there's a game of politics going on.
Yes as I've stated before Russia has dropped the southern corridor route project for South Stream which allows Western Europe to run it's backup plan to Nabucco the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) without Gazprom competition and at the same time there is no plans by the Europe to run a connector off of the TAP pipeline into Bulgaria leaving the status quo intact concerning Russia's control of the gas markets in Bulgaria. The symmetry is there concerning both projects that says a back room negotiated compromise was reached. Austria was always going to be the northern corridor endpoint of the Nabucco and this arrangement leaves that intact while splitting the corridors here equally.
Bottom line Europe needs stable gas routes and Ukraine is anything but and probably won't be for years to come now. That split creates stability considering spheres of influence on the transit routes with the exception of Albania but Albania is easily dealt with by building a bypass around it at the same time.
Frankly if there are any stability problems with the South Stream route at this point it is most likely going to be in Serbia.
And Albania will soon be an EU member.
And it is also predominately muslim and the biggest sect is Sunni. TAP is competing against muslim gas coming from North Africa through Algiers primarily which is muslim brotherhood friendly. Don't think for a second Qatar using it's MB proxies won't leverage their position to stop or hinder TAP a project that is pumping in muslim gas from a predominately Shia region aka Azerbaijan.
Albania is going to be a destablized mess like Ukraine before it ever gains EU membership especially as the TAP project reaches it's borders unless the EU builds a bypass around Albania at the same time to counter backdoor Qatari intervention.
How else will Brussels collect the cigarette taxes from them?
Albania is run by The Balkans Mob. The EU is jealous and prefers that the Brussels Mob be cut in on the action.
Yup. +1. Which is why Austria's decision to go with South Stream sounded so defensive. They were being nagged.
@luckylongshot,
Europe's interest is managed by the psyco's in the US gubmint.
Can't have anybody or anything threatening the petrodollar.
Shortly after the completion of this pipeline, I expect to see a bunch of Ukie Zio-Nazis hanging off the lamp post in the middle of maidan, with Nuland's cookies nailed to their foreheads. Nuland, Kerry, Biden, Obama and all their wall street handlers should be publicly caged until they all eat each other like mad rats (no disrespect to mad rats).
I see that you absorb Russian propaganda well. There may be a future for you after all. Just repeat after me:
All jews are evil.
Anyone that the Russians don't like are Nazis and
The CIA did it.
hasbara troll alert
Funny how they cover Ukie Nazi's, ain't it?
jep, circle of dna full of russian shit
Nyet...it is not that simple
but you are
I wonder why Europe is trying so hard to cut Russian gas off. At some point the gas will just go to China. If that happens Europeans will be migrating to Africa. Won't that be a sight to behold. African nations complaining about an influx of European economic refugees.
Oh the poor Europeans. They quite willingly got in bed with Obama and are now finding out that he digs anal intercourse.
There's lots of gas. The time is getting late for the gas owners to get their long term supply contracts sealed up.
Russian gas will go to China. Russia has LOTS MORE GAS that it needs to sell if it's going to be the financial powerhouse of the 21st Century. Arab and Persian gas would like to find a home as well. The EU can/will only burn so much of it. It's down to EITHER Russia OR Mideast gas. There's not room for both.
The next 20 years will see MAJOR NEW alternate energy sources become available like LENR, LFTR or perhaps focus-fusion (Dense Plasma Focus, DPF -- non tokamak). If you haven't got your gas sold by then, you're shit-out-of-luck and back to riding camels and donkeys with no A/C.
The results of this conflict will determine whose empire rules the roost on Planet Earth. It's all or nothing!
Hey kudos to the Russians for securing a new pipeline and all the profits that will come behind it...
But tell that to the ethnically cleansed and counting in Eastern Ukraine begging for Russia's help as more are being killed every day and a continued blackout by the Western media continues...
Pro-Russian Ukrainian struggling to survive "still live"...
My only hope is that Russian special forces are killing every pro-Western merc they find and that they are sending them back to Kiev and the U.S. in shoe boxes!
Justice takes time and who knows, maybe those warriors from the South-East will march all the way to Brussels... When the time is right, Kiev's hyenas will be dealt with.
Enough with the "Ethnic Cleansing" routine.
It's a Ukranian civil war. Most of the Russian speaking Ukrainians were born there.
They are Ukrainian.
Eat lots of Ukrainian chocolate to keep warm this winter...
Putin makes nice with Obama
now N Korea is offering the same to S Korea
this is only a game, a temporary move, works pretty good though
i feel sorry for the folks in Ukraine, but superpowers won't be stopped
eventualy they will pay too
and from Baumgarten, Austria and back to the Ukraine
Russia is like the low IQ bully on the playground trying to control everyone's move
most normal people will just take the cash instead
Remember when Russia supported Serbia in opposition to Kosovo Independence (17 February 2008), while the US, EU, and most western Capitals campaigned and supported the illegal act? Well, it's payback time yet again. Only the pathologically stupid and myopic US State Department and National Security team, "Frau" Ashton and the bumbling bureaucrats in Brussels, and splineless craven leaders of the Western Democracies, could not understand at the time that Kosovo independence was folly. Indeed, a Russian oil/gas pipeline through Serbia to Western Europe is not a bad deal for simply upholding International Law and an UN Resolution. As I said on another occasion: for Russia, it’s all too easy. Who needs missiles when you have the European and American political class?
I predicted that the rape rooms would be next.
I hope Ukrainians don't blame all Americans for this.
The Oligarchs have no soul.
putin is being all american and capitalisht . he says------TAKE MY OIL . I WILL LAY PIPE IN YOU. BEND OVER FOR A PETRO-FACIAL EUROPE. 2 COUNTRIES 1 PIPELINE.
if the pansy ass bitches in brussels believe that all this beauracracy bullshit and the threat of shutting down banks and confiscating offshore accounts belonging to oligarchs in the balkans is going to prevent the need to get their hands bloody directly, rather than through some ukranian neo-natzis------------well then that's why americans consider europeans a bunch of pansies.
putin has europe checkmated because europe has almost no fucking military power. the fucking french, left hand of brussels is in fact selling putin their best amphibious hardware. while politley asking putin to check his ambitions as he lays his pipe right into the austrian anus.
secretly hitler's ghost is cheering on russia, because she is germany's last hope for regaining her independence from the british american franco axis that currently occupies the deutschland with 50,000 troops.
the more pipe russia lay, the closer she comes to prying germany away from the u.s. ; the EU , perpetually concerned with surviving long enough to completely balkanize and reconquer europe, is under the thumb of russians, but under the boot stomp of the americans. without russia the EU goes broke NOW. AMERICA NOW HAS THE EU IN A CHOKE HOLD. IF THINGS GET BAD AND THE EU FIGHTS BACK, AMERICA THREATENS WAR WITH RUSSIA AND THE SUBSEQUENT GAS CUTTOFF THAT WOULD ENTAIL. THE THE US AND RUSSI ARE PLAYING CHICKEN WITH EU'S GAS SUPPLIES AND THE EU IS PLAYING FOR TIME UNTIL THE RIGHT MOMENT TO DEPLOY THE EU ARMY TO EVISCERATE THE PIGGIES LIVSTOCK POPULATIONS. WHEN THE MOMENT IS RIGHT, A NEW ENEMY MUST BE UNLEASHED. WITH A MASSIVE FALSE FLAG. AN ENEMY SO HARMLESS EVERYONE WILL LINE UP TO BEAT HER ASS.
THE NEW ENEMY WILL NOT ACTUALLY HAVE NUCLEAR WEAOPNS BUT WILL BE BLAMED FOR A MASSIVE ATTACK ON EUROPE. PROBABLY A BOMBING OF AT LEAST LONDON PARIS AND BERLIN. POSSIBLY THE CAPITALS OF THE PIGS AND OTHER KEY NATIONS---AUSTRIA SWITZERLAND
west stream east stream south stream ice cream. just don't cross the streams!.
Mmmmm,
The ground section of the South Stream pipeline will run across Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia, and Austria. The designed capacity of the pipeline is 63 billion cubic metres. The pipeline is planned to be commissioned in late 2015.
The Russians will be doing everything humanly possible to hit that date.
Now, if you were in the decision loop in these countries, which would you prefer as bribes sorry consultancy contracts, US dollars or rubbles/yuan/gold? And how would you negociate the value of these contracts higher? Yup, put pressure on the end date by delaying the start (also keeps the US knife out of your back for a bit longer).
Just a guess but perhaps in early 2015 the first French/Russian Mistral helicopter carrier will go on a world tour on its way from St Petersburg (delivery port) to Vladivostok (home port) including a visit to the Black Sea Fleet. Nothing to do with protecting Bulgaria of course.
This winter may be bad but I wouldn't want to be in the Ukraine winter 2015/16. Kiev will be pleading with Putin for gas.
Hope it comes by way of San Francisco. I would love to see one of those up close.
In the meantime, you could make do with seeing their bombers flying just off your coast.
Most Bulgarians side with Russia. The cultural ties are too close. Add to the fact that what the EU clowns are doing is becoming extremely transparent, and you have perfect division between what the puppet Bulgarian government is likely to do versus what its people clearly see.
The US and the EU are ready to race, but unfortunately showed up at the wrong stadium....
Russia doesn't want the people, they want the resources and wealth. They are not stupid. We love the very poor, ill, and uneducated. We love EBT and crappy health care. We are stupid!! New slogan for the USA.
Not sure about that.
Seems to me that the Prime Asset is human livestock.
You can deplete an oil well or a coal mine ... but, as long as you have human livestock, your own life will be very comfortable.
They are a natural resource which it is impossible to deplete.
Is that too cynical?
Guillotine.
Organ Harvest.
Cremation.
Coming to a theatre near you.
The US Military/politicians send American kids to die all over the world but the border is wide open for terrorists. USA is a joke country.
Yep- a total matrix type thing. Maybe 5% are aware, so effectively total.
Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia, all countries under severe financial pressure who will be quite grateful for this FDR style infrastructure project.
WWKD?
What would Krugman do?
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/07/opinion/paul-krugman-conservative-delu...
I kinda with Tyler [TylerS?] would do one of those open letter things to Krugman and the Times...
He is harming this country.... or at least - people like my parents who worked their asses off, saved a little, and are watching it be eaten up by inflation, drug costs, taxes, and so forth - maybe 'bail ins' one day soon...
Just overthrow the Government. "Problem solved!"
No one recognizes the seizure of Crimea as legitimate. Then Ukraine will have all those gas contracts and Europe will have all the gas it needs "sans idle threats from a retarded dictator."
Hungary's agreement with Russia is about as likely to bear fruit as a law against gay marriage between illegal immigrants in Arizona has a chance to pass a federal appeals court.
Kind of like accepting a gold medal at the olympics before they test your meth/epo infused blood sample...
Hungary's agreement with Russia is about as likely to bear fruit as a law against gay marriage between illegal immigrants in Arizona has a chance to pass a federal appeals court.
Kind of like accepting a gold medal at the olympics before they test your meth/epo infused blood sample...
The US wants Europe to wait a few years until they can sell them LNG at much higher prices than Russian gas.
Because that's what friends are for.