In the wake of the European energy crisis and the closing of gas pipeline Nord Stream 1 connecting Russia to Germany, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz aims to pursue new avenues for gas supplies. This Saturday, he will depart for a two-day trip to the Middle East as a part of efforts to close a deal on liquefied natural gas with the United Arab Emirates.

German Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck reported as much at a press conference in Lubmin in north-eastern Germany.

”The gas offering is slowly broadening. The government is permanently in talks with many countries, also with nations on the Arabian peninsula,” Habeck says and explains that the UAE is not the only nation that Germany is engaged in talks with, but also African nations as well.

”In that way, we’ll close the hole that the lack of Russian gas has ripped open,” he adds.

During the two-day visit, Scholz will also pay a visit to Qatar, which Germany has already been negotiating with for deliveries of LNG, although there has been little progress in these talks, writes Bloomberg News.

Germany to detach gas and wind prices

Qatar to help wean Germany off Russian gas