APS : Tuesday, 30 January 2018
HOUSTON (TEXAS)- US State Department said Monday it wanted to launch energy partnership with Algeria, in a view to ensuring supply security in the region, notably for the European market.
“One of the best manners for the US and the Algerian government to work together is to reinforce energy security of the region by promoting energy diversification,” said Sandra Oudkirk, Deputy Assistant Secretary during the US-Algerian Energy Forum in Houston.
The US diplomat added that many countries still depend on a single source or form of energy, which makes them vulnerable to supply disruptions that threaten their economic and national security.
Oudkirk cited the example of some European countries, largely dependent on Russian gas, indicating that the State Department’s Energy Strategies Office was supporting efforts to diversify supply and energy transport routes to the continent.
“Algeria is a major energy supplier for Europe and we congratulate it for being a reliable partner, helping the continent to diversify its supply,” she added.
The Deputy Assistant Secretary said “the United States encouraged Algeria to increase its exports to Europe as well as to other countries in the world,” stressing, moreover, the strengthening of the relations between the two country in recent years.
The “economic cooperation is really the basis for strengthened bilateral relations,” she said.
The European countries are seeking to secure their energy security as they try to impose adverse conditions on their traditional suppliers, prompting many producers to reconsider their marketing strategy in order to find new markets for their gas.
