MOSCOW, (Sputnik) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has thanked Norway for providing gas to the country instead of Russia, adding that Oslo became Berlin’s largest gas supplier.
Scholz attended the opening ceremony of the Hanover Fair on Sunday. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store also attended the event.
«We have to thank Norway for the fact that in just a few months we have managed to become completely independent of Russian energy. You have reliably supplied us with gas, even more than originally agreed, and you will remain our largest gas supplier in the coming years,» Scholz was quoted as saying at the fair by the German government.
In order to remain Germany’s largest gas supplier, Norway is currently developing additional gas deposits, the chancellor said.
Scholz also claimed that the era of fossil fuels is coming to an end, which means changing industrial processes.
Germany, along with several other European countries, decided to reduce its energy dependence on Russia after the start of Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. Halting the flow of Russian gas to Europe led to a spike in energy prices and shortages, forcing countries to look for alternatives, which also included the United States and its liquefied natural gas exports.
