RE: US position25 Feb 2020 15:01
cont from previous post/...
While these autocratic nations claim they are merely supplying legitimate infrastructure demands, the reality is they are exporting their own economic imbalances — such as industrial overcapacity and excess labour — and, in some cases, have converted their loan portfolio and economic inroads into military access, technology theft or diplomatic influence.
Russia is using energy to bend other nations to its geopolitical will, particularly in Europe Equally concerning, Russia is using energy to bend other nations to its geopolitical will, particularly in Europe. In Europe, as much as anywhere in the world, energy security is national security — and energy security depends on energy diversity. The fact remains that many European countries remain dependent on Russian gas to meet their growing energy demands. This energy dependence remains as Russia continuously disregards international rules and norms, such as recognising the sovereignty of its commercial partners, including Ukraine, Poland and Georgia.
This year, the US International Development Finance Corporation was launched. DFC modernises and expands our nation’s development finance tools. DFC was created through bipartisan legislation that highlighted development finance as a critical tool of American foreign policy.
The agency offers a strong alternative to state-directed financing models by emphasising private-sector development leading to financially sustainable projects that respect transparency, sovereignty, high standards and rule of law. Congress recently directed DFC to invest in energy projects that can ensure Europe and Eurasia are energy-independent and secure.
The US Department of Energy has created new efforts such as the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation to support the Three Seas Initiative — a forum set up by Poland and Croatia to promote central European integration — by developing new and improved tools for nations to protect their citizens from abdicating control of their critical infrastructure and diversifying their energy supply, an effort that further bolsters our collective security.
Nations across the globe, including our European allies and partners, can depend on the US as a good-faith partner. The Trump administration has strengthened transatlantic co-operation on the ground, and we are proud that energy stands squarely at the centre of these efforts.
The combined efforts of DFC and the US DoE will pave the way for energy infrastructure projects in Europe and Eurasia that advance energy security and diversify the energy supplies of our allies across the region. International economic co-operation and foreign direct investment can and should serve as a force for good in the world, and succeeds when these investments adhere to high standards.
Dan Brouillette is the US secretary of energy and Adam Boehler is CEO of the US International Development Finance Corporation