Trans-Atlantic Energy Security Strategy - The Trans-Atlantic Community Must Come To Grips With The Fact That Our Future Is Threatened

Lugar Calls for Trans-Atlantic Energy Security Strategy

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Dick Lugar told the U.S. – Ukraine Energy Dialogue Series today that, “It is time for the trans-Atlantic community to establish a credible energy security strategy that diversifies energy sources for all Europe, establishes a collective framework to work with Russia, and refuses to tolerate the use of energy as an instrument of coercion.”

“The absence of a collective energy security strategy will lead to greater fragmentation among European nations and across the Atlantic. This fragmentation will not be exclusive to energy policy; it may also detrimentally impact our ability to act upon shared security and economic issues,” he said.

“Russia will be Europe’s preeminent energy supplier for decades, but this does not have to be a confrontational relationship. Nor do European countries have to be in a weakened bargaining position because of their import dependence. Right now, NATO and the EU have tremendous leverage in developing a more constructive relationship with Russia on energy.”

Below is the entire text of Lugar’s speech:


Trans-Atlantic Energy Security Strategy