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Garcia-Margallo: Europe Must Increase Gas Imports from North Africa
ALGIERS – Spain’s foreign minister said on Friday that Europe will need to increase natural gas imports from North Africa if it is to reduce its dependence on supplies from Russia.
“What’s happening as a consequence of the conflict in Ukraine is enormously important for energy relations between Spain and Algeria,” Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo told reporters after arriving at the airport serving this capital.
“Spain’s buys nearly 50 percent of its gas from Algeria and Europe depends on Russia for 25 percent of its gas. There’s a conviction that it must start reducing that dependence,” the minister said, adding that to do so it must increase imports from North Africa.
“The solid performance of Europe’s economy depends on that,” he said.
In that regard, he said Spain intends to revisit some “old, long-shelved plans” for increasing energy supplies from North Africa.
Garcia-Margallo cautioned, however, that that will not be possible without improved energy interconnection between Spain and the rest of Europe.
The Iberian Peninsula can no longer remain an “island” in the energy area, he said, adding that ending that relative isolation would benefit Algeria, the rest of western North Africa and Spain.
Spain’s top diplomat, who was received at the airport by Algerian counterpart Ramtane Lamamra, will meet Saturday with Prime Minister Youcef Yousfi after taking part in a Spanish-Algerian economic forum.
ALGIERS – Spain’s foreign minister said on Friday that Europe will need to increase natural gas imports from North Africa if it is to reduce its dependence on supplies from Russia.
“What’s happening as a consequence of the conflict in Ukraine is enormously important for energy relations between Spain and Algeria,” Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo told reporters after arriving at the airport serving this capital.
“Spain’s buys nearly 50 percent of its gas from Algeria and Europe depends on Russia for 25 percent of its gas. There’s a conviction that it must start reducing that dependence,” the minister said, adding that to do so it must increase imports from North Africa.
“The solid performance of Europe’s economy depends on that,” he said.
In that regard, he said Spain intends to revisit some “old, long-shelved plans” for increasing energy supplies from North Africa.
Garcia-Margallo cautioned, however, that that will not be possible without improved energy interconnection between Spain and the rest of Europe.
The Iberian Peninsula can no longer remain an “island” in the energy area, he said, adding that ending that relative isolation would benefit Algeria, the rest of western North Africa and Spain.
Spain’s top diplomat, who was received at the airport by Algerian counterpart Ramtane Lamamra, will meet Saturday with Prime Minister Youcef Yousfi after taking part in a Spanish-Algerian economic forum.
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