EU TALKS GAS WITH QATAR AMID TENSIONS WITH RUSSIA

Mon 31 January 2022:

The European Union is negotiating gas with Azerbaijan, as well as Qatar and the U.S., in case Russia decides to suspend supplies, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said on Sunday.

“We must be prepared in case diplomacy fails. We are considering all options and scenarios, including working with partners such as the U.S., Qatar, and Azerbaijan, on the issue of gas supplies in the event that Russia decides to reduce or stop supplies,” he said, referring to mounting tensions between Moscow and Kyiv.

Since 2014, Russia has been supporting separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine, a policy it has maintained for the past eight years.

As tensions rise with Kyiv and the West, Moscow has in recent months amassed well over 100,000 troops on its border with Ukraine.

In response to Russia’s actions, NATO enhanced its presence in the eastern bloc, with four multinational battalion-sized battlegroups deployed to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland on a rotational basis.

Qatar Emir Meets Biden

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is set to visit the White House this week for his first in-person meeting with US President Joe Biden, as analysts say the Gulf country again finds itself uniquely situated to play a critical role in United States foreign policy.

Topping the agenda on Monday’s meeting, according to the White House, will be efforts to ensure “the stability of global energy supplies”, a not-so-veiled reference to fever-pitched tensions with Russia over Ukraine that could see Europe seek new avenues for its hefty natural gas needs.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani will be the first Gulf state leader to visit Biden since he became president just over a year ago and the Oval Office talks will cement the tiny country’s status as a major international player.

In addition to meeting Biden, the sheikh will meet with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, members of Congress and other officials, the White House said.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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