Iran stands as the final regional link in the international energy network and is being found connected to the “system”.
Now, let us have a look at the rudiments of the “global and established energy regulation” from Iran to the region…..
Chinese President Xi Jinping is travelling to Pakistan. He is going to sign the agreement for the construction of a gas pipeline from Iran to Pakistan. Thus, a triangle will be formed between Beijing – Tehran – Islamabad and there will be plans for extending this energy line to China.
Energy networks are always based on merging and combining; the most effective route for this energy line is to connect it to southeastern China by passing it over the Northern part of India. That place is already an energy center, but this is China's plan to include and bind India to the energy game. The Eastern system will expand.
Due to the pressure from the U.S., India couldn't and didn't participate in this project before. They are staying away because of the sanctions directed at Iran. As soon as Tehran returned to the game, the “Iran-Pakistan-India” gas pipeline started to sprout leaves again. And, as we all know, when money is the matter, enmities can be forgotten quickly.
If this project between India – China – Iran materializes, it will be one of the biggest energy markets, gas exportation powers in Asia.
The Western energy axis….
If we are to call this the Asian or Eastern Axis, then there is a Western or U.S. axis, and they are rivals. There is also a gas pipeline project between Turkmenistan-India-Afghanistan-Pakistan. China-Iran and the U.S. are at each other's throats over these two energy routes/systems.
The Turkmen gas streaming to China and Beijing has already made an economic and political investment in this project. China will do all it could to prevent these reserves from drifting to another field, like the Southern Asia markets. Iran will be on the same side in this matter, and, Pakistan will also prefer China over the U.S.
It seems that the Iran-Pakistan-India line and reflections will be affecting the regional geopolitics…. We can even state a critical date; next month, the President of India, Narendra Modi, will be visiting China and everyone will focus on the energy-related results from this meeting. This could be named the China-India Energy Cooperation and it will definitely have an effect. We will see what U.S. and the West, who reprimands others by saying. “Don't let your axis slide”, will say to this “Asian Energy Axis”.
Then, what are Washington's, who included Tehran to the game once again, plans on how to use this country's energy? According to the U.S., Iran's energy should be streamed to Europe. This strategic plan, which is stated with simple sentences, is actually a “Cold War” parameter. The U.S. will be encouraging Europe to use the Iran energy and will turn Tehran and Moscow into rivals in Europe. (Now the prophecy of the S-300 missiles is being understood, right?)
Countries will collapse upon each other
It's clear to Russia that the U.S. is trying to remove them from the energy game in Europe. This is equal to losing their political power over Europe. While this will have economic and domestic political results for Moscow, it also has the potential to spoil or make the Middle East, Khazar and Central Asia equations. Even this is only a part of the “Big Game”.
Russia's answer will be the Mediterranean Sea. Especially with the Eastern Mediterranean being in the first place, the supply of energy in this field, from the point of participants and the countries it will affect, is presenting a unique example having the power to create new alliances and rivals. It's connecting Israel, Cyprus, Greece, Syria and many other variables to each other. In order to recover all the “problematic relations and matters” in that mentioned region, the Russian contribution, mediator role and pressure will be revealed, like it was in the Turkish Stream.
You can be sure that later on we will be arguing over this a lot. However, let us write this much as an example: for a while now, it's being stated that Russia is looking for ways to make an energy partnership with Tel Aviv, in order to receive the controls over the Israeli gas regions in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (like Tamar and Leviathan) for a long time. This field is limited to the waters where U.S. companies are working. ('Russia muscles in on East Med gas boom', 08/03, UPİ.)
The other leg of the energy belt is Greece. We have to take a good look at how Athens' relations with Russia and Europe are placed in the map we've drawn. Greece had developed a joint stance against the Turkish Stream project together with Macedonia, Serbia and Hungary. Russia, by seeing Greece's position and effect over Europe, opened the channels of the Turkish Stream, in order to find money for them. It's clear that there will be a special relation formed between Athens and Ankara over this project.
If we are to return to our starting point of Iran's return to the game, this is the summarized table; Russia and China want Iran's energy exportation to be focused on the Asian market, while the U.S. wants it to be focused on the Europe market. This is not only related with Iran's energy reserves, it's feeding an unstoppable war related with the energy and routes in all directions of the compass. Most possibly, Tehran will want it “all”. Though, that is not possible!
It must have caught your attention… Despite these highly strategic developments, which are happening and will be experienced around us, I didn't even use the “Turkey” name once, and didn't mention the energy plots directed at Turkey.
We will be mentioning those… however this much is already enough: If you cut and remove Turkey from the middle of the map mentioned above… all of them will fall into the black hole that will be formed.
