The EU is united on its determination
to cut reliance on Russian gas amid the Ukraine war, Foreign
Minister Luigi Di Maio said Thursday.
In a message sent to the inauguration of the first offshore wind
farm in the Mediterrenean, built by Renexia at Taranto in
Puglia, Di Maio said "within the ambit of the European Union we
are promoting a cohesive action aimed at emerging from our
dependence on Russia".
He said the EU was also trying to "mitigate the impact of energy
market fluctuations on our economies and societies, maintaining
at the same time the commitment on the objectives of the Green
Deal".
Di Maio said that "the Italian government, with the foreign
ministry in the front line, promptly acted to diversify supply
sources, prevent further tensions on global energy markets,
boosting cooperation with strategic partners in the
Mediterranean and beyond.
"In the last few weeks I went on missions to Algeria, Qatar,
Angola, Congo, Mozambique and Azerbaijan with the aim of further
developing energy cooperation with current suppliers with great
potential".
After wrapping up a deal to boost energy supplies from Angola on
Wednesday, the Italian government is seeking a similar agreement
in the Republic of Congo on Thursday as Italy continues its
drive to find alternative sources of gas to replace Russian
supplies following the invasion of Ukraine.
Di Maio, Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani and
Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi are leading the two-day mission.
Premier Mario Draghi was also meant to go on the trip but had to
pull out because he has contracted COVID-19.
Nevertheless, Draghi on Wednesday conferred by phone with
Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço on energy
cooperation to help seal the deal.
Draghi also had a phone conversation with Congo President De'
nis Sassou N'Guesso Tuesday morning and agreed on the "wide
potential" for bilateral partnership, in particular in the
energy sector.
Italy currently imports around 40% of the gas it uses from
Russia.
Cingolani said in an interview with Thursday's La Stampa that
Italy should be able to end its reliance on Russian gas within
18 months, having previously said it could take up to three
years.
Italy recently signed an important agreement to increase the 31%
of gas it gets from Algeria too.
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