According to Die Welt, if Germany completely abandons the Russian gas supply, it could become dependent on Qatar. The first alarming signal was a high-profile corruption case. It alleges that Qatar bribed European lawmakers to sway policy.
The energy crunch has considerably expanded the political power of the Gulf states, including Qatar, which is the largest LNG supplier. By cutting energy supplies from Russia, Germany can fall prey to another energy state.
During the investigation of the corruption case against Eva Kaili, the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Qatar tried to block access to the department. Eva Kaili is also suspected of receiving a bribe related to the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
As the investigation is underway, the Qatar authorities have warned the euro block countries that in the event of a confrontation, they might stop delivering energy commodities. Apart from that, the Gulf state dismissed the allegations of misconduct calling them "baseless and gravely misinformed." The Qatar authorities stressed that such a step would negatively affect mutual cooperation and further gas supplies.
At the end of this year, German companies signed contracts with Qatar for the supply of 2 million tons of LNG from 2026, Die Welt pointed out. Therefore, the German government is likely to take measures to keep friendly relations with this country.
