52
the Russia Economy.” Putin claims that Russia’s energy reserves can help the state
facilitate the integration process with other states and that in its natural resource
policy Russia must “take a high degree of responsibility in taking various decisions
about domestic and foreign economic policy with the aim of furthering its geopolitical interests and preserving Russia’s national security” (Shaffer 2009:123).
As energy resources are crucially important to the economy, it is at the highest
level of the government where numerous critical decisions regarding energy policy
and regulation are made. The primary document in which the Russian energy policy
is outlined is the “Energy Strategy of the Russian Federation up to 2030.” The
Russian energy policy has the target of making the utmost use of its natural energy
resources and utilizing the potential of the energy sector to obtain continuous economic growth, higher living standards, and a more powerful status in the world
market. This document outlines Russia’s most significant strategic initiatives in the
energy industry as follows (Mitorova 2014:11–13):
• Founding oil and gas industrial complexes in the eastern regions of the country,
which could enable the regions to not only free themselves from being dependent
on external energy and speed up development, but also broaden range of export
flows to Asian Pacific countries,
• Exploring the Arctic continental shelf and northern regions, which could facilitate the stabilization of oil and gas productions subsequent to a probable decline
in the traditional oil-producing areas of Western Siberia between 2015 and 2030,
• Developing the fields that are difficult to enter mainly by means of deductions in
taxes,
• Developing and diversifying territories of the energy infrastructure,
• Renewing energy promotion, and
• Saving energy.
The construction and maintenance of energy transmission lines to Europe from different countries creates a rift between Russia and NATO, which, while ensuring
Russia’s national security, increases its bargaining power with the United States,
Europe, and NATO. Energy promotes Russia’s position and role in the international
system, while the energy links between China and Russia bring more than double
the economic benefits of the political agenda of the two countries (Six 2015:1).
Russia forwards its policy of gaining leverage over transit states through acquiring the energy infrastructure of its neighbors. It is a formal goal of Russia to acquire
all the energy infrastructure of the former Soviet Republics. Russia does not permit
foreign companies to buy energy transit or distribution infrastructure within Russia
(Mitorova 2014:11–13).
Moscow is strengthening its control over oil and gas resources in the whole of
Eurasia, especially through signing long-term agreements and exploitation protocols with Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, and the prevention of separate export agreements with the West. The strategy is aimed at defeating the
European Union’s efforts to avoid strategic dependence on Russian gas supplies.
For this reason, Russia has focused on several axes in its energy diplomacy:
3 International Context of the New Era and the Caspian Sea Region
the Russia Economy.” Putin claims that Russia’s energy reserves can help the state
facilitate the integration process with other states and that in its natural resource
policy Russia must “take a high degree of responsibility in taking various decisions
about domestic and foreign economic policy with the aim of furthering its geopolitical interests and preserving Russia’s national security” (Shaffer 2009:123).
As energy resources are crucially important to the economy, it is at the highest
level of the government where numerous critical decisions regarding energy policy
and regulation are made. The primary document in which the Russian energy policy
is outlined is the “Energy Strategy of the Russian Federation up to 2030.” The
Russian energy policy has the target of making the utmost use of its natural energy
resources and utilizing the potential of the energy sector to obtain continuous economic growth, higher living standards, and a more powerful status in the world
market. This document outlines Russia’s most significant strategic initiatives in the
energy industry as follows (Mitorova 2014:11–13):
• Founding oil and gas industrial complexes in the eastern regions of the country,
which could enable the regions to not only free themselves from being dependent
on external energy and speed up development, but also broaden range of export
flows to Asian Pacific countries,
• Exploring the Arctic continental shelf and northern regions, which could facilitate the stabilization of oil and gas productions subsequent to a probable decline
in the traditional oil-producing areas of Western Siberia between 2015 and 2030,
• Developing the fields that are difficult to enter mainly by means of deductions in
taxes,
• Developing and diversifying territories of the energy infrastructure,
• Renewing energy promotion, and
• Saving energy.
The construction and maintenance of energy transmission lines to Europe from different countries creates a rift between Russia and NATO, which, while ensuring
Russia’s national security, increases its bargaining power with the United States,
Europe, and NATO. Energy promotes Russia’s position and role in the international
system, while the energy links between China and Russia bring more than double
the economic benefits of the political agenda of the two countries (Six 2015:1).
Russia forwards its policy of gaining leverage over transit states through acquiring the energy infrastructure of its neighbors. It is a formal goal of Russia to acquire
all the energy infrastructure of the former Soviet Republics. Russia does not permit
foreign companies to buy energy transit or distribution infrastructure within Russia
(Mitorova 2014:11–13).
Moscow is strengthening its control over oil and gas resources in the whole of
Eurasia, especially through signing long-term agreements and exploitation protocols with Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, and the prevention of separate export agreements with the West. The strategy is aimed at defeating the
European Union’s efforts to avoid strategic dependence on Russian gas supplies.
For this reason, Russia has focused on several axes in its energy diplomacy:
3 International Context of the New Era and the Caspian Sea Region