In Geopolitics Today: Monday, September 26th
Germany Agrees Energy Security Deal with the UAE, Turkey Condemns Greek Move to Militarize Aegean Islands, and other stories.
Germany Agrees Energy Security Deal with the UAE
The German energy company RWE has signed a deal with the United Arab Emirates to secure the delivery of 137,000 cubic meters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the new LNG terminal in Brunsbüttel near Hamburg later this year. In addition, the company also signed a memorandum regarding long-term deliveries from 2023.
Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz was on a visit to the UAE as part of a Gulf tour. The Chancellor met with his Emirati counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with further opportunities for cooperation in energy security, emissions reduction and climate action highlighted as central to their discussions. Later the German Chancellor met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah and Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Qatar.
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Turkey Condemns Greek Move to Militarize Aegean Islands
Ankara has summoned the Greek ambassador and protested to the United States after discovering a Greek deployment of US-made armoured vehicles on two Aegean islands near the Turkish coast. Turkish army drones recorded a Greek deployment of armoured vehicles on the Aegean islands of Lesvos and Samos, which Ankara argues is a violation of international law.
The Turkish foreign ministry said Athens should “stop violations” and respect the non-military status of the islands. In addition, Ankara reportedly forwarded a note to the US embassy in Ankara, informing Washington that “weapons should not be used in breach” of the islands’ status. Athens rejected Ankara’s objections as “completely unfounded,” framing Turkey’s legal case as absurd. This latest point of contention comes as Greece and Turkey — both part of US-led NATO — have conflicted over a number of issues, including maritime borders and energy exploration rights in the Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean.
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South Africa’s Growing Water Crisis
Parts of Ventersburg, a town of about 12,000, have been without water for a month due to damaged infrastructure and blackouts. With energy prices high and income inequality a considerable problem and electricity blackouts becoming common, water shortages continue to worsen in South Africa. This in turn is driving demonstrations and disruptions to transportation, supply chains and business activity.
A number of factors are driving this state of affairs in South Africa. These include poor water governance, below average annual rainfall, lack of financing and limited access to key technologies. Water supply in South Africa remains a complex issue. The country’s freshwater resources are stressed on all fronts by water consumption patterns, rising water demands, decaying water infrastructure, unreliable sanitation services and pollution. Cooperation, coordination and communication between South Africa’s executive, legislative and judicial branches of government are necessary for improved water governance.
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Protracted Energy Crisis Looms over Europe
The combination of educed energy supply due to the sanctions against Russia and the subsequent shutdown of key gas export routes by Moscow will leave Europe scrambling for oil and gas beyond the coming winter. As such, Europe will need to ration demand in the years ahead if Brussels is to maintain the sanctions regime against Russia in place.
EU member states are now paying roughly seven times more for natural gas than the United States. This reality underscores the dramatic erosion of the bloc’s industrial competitiveness, and will soon threaten lasting damage to European economies. The energy crisis is already pushing Germany — the bloc’s largest economy — into a recession, and industries across Europe are being forced to curb production or shut down due to soaring energy prices.