Vestnik Kavkaza: Bakhruz Abdolvand: “Iran is a natural alternative for Russia in Europe”

Bakhruz Abdolvand, a coordinator of the Berlin Center for Caspian Region Studies, an associated member of the German Society for Foreign Policy, described the prospects of Iranian gas on the European energy market after Iran’s possible return to the international arena from isolation and about the impact of the Ukrainian crisis on Iranian-Russian relations.

- Iran is sometimes called one of the possible alternatives for Russian gas in European capitals. Is the appearance of Iranian gas on the EU market real?

- In conditions when gas production in Europe is dropping and imports of liquefied gas would be very costly, it would be a logical and natural opportunity to strengthen the energy security of Europe by importing gas from Iran. It is the country that, according to the latest statistical data of British Petroleum, has the biggest reserves of natural gas in the world. For political reasons, this option has not been considered yet. For example, German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel recently noted, recalling the failed Nabucco project, that Iran should be at the other end of the gas pipeline.
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