Russia ready to buy Asian natural gas?

President of the Natural Gas Society of Russia Valeri Iazev said at an April 21 conference that Russia should purchase all the Asian-produced natural gas, including that from Iran. Iazev thinks that the Caspian region will play the key role in securing Europe and Eurasia’s energy security. By buying all its natural gas Russia will maintain its own fields and will decrease Asian countries’ interest in collaborating with the West.

Iazev thinks that the NABUCCO project will not be viable without Iranian gas. He also quotes two problems this project will have to address: the lack of a raw material base and the instbility of some of the countries its pipeline will traverse.