| Alexey Miller joined the Juche ideals Gazprom’s desire to enter the American natural gas market, as it turned out, does not prevent the concern from starting a business dialogue with a country that the US State Department officially classifies as a “rogue country.” At the end of last week, a Gazprom delegation led by Chairman of the Board Alexey Miller spent 24 hours in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. The concern's press service spoke only about the fact of the trip. Company representatives decline to comment further.
According to ITAR-TASS, almost all media outlets of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea reported on the visit, limiting it, however, to coverage of protocol events: members of the delegation laying a wreath at the Liberation monument, visiting the monument to the idea of Juche and the house in Mangyongdae, where the first one was born President and founder of the DPRK Kim Il Sung. It is also known that the head of Gazprom held negotiations with Prime Minister Park Bon-du, Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade Kim Yong-jae and other representatives of the country's leadership. At the same time, in Pyongyang this event was presented as the beginning of negotiations on a major joint cooperation project in the gas field, which would help the DPRK overcome its long-term energy crisis.
At the same time, the most likely subject of negotiations looks to be a discussion of the prospects for gas transit through the territory of the DPRK for South Korea, which is a major global importer of blue fuel. The option of exporting East Siberian gas bypassing China to South Korea, where the gas deficit will amount to 10-15 billion cubic meters per year by 2010, does not look very viable. Not only is it longer than the “Chinese alternative”, but it also has a rather limited sales market, obvious transit risks and great difficulties in attracting third-party financing for its construction. Not to mention the political difficulties with China, as well as the unresolved problem with the monoconsumer of exports through this gas pipeline.
In addition, the implementation of such a project is possible only within the framework of international political dialogue to bring the Juche country out of isolation. On the other hand, on the basis of this project it would be possible to give this process, which after the restoration of railway communication between the two Koreas had pretty much wilted, a “second wind”. In this regard, Mr. Miller's business trip to Pyongyang may be part of Moscow's larger diplomatic game. Alexey GRIVACHS |
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