DWN: The war in Syria is not against IS, but for supremacy in the oil and gas market. The battle for Deir ez-zor, or who will get the Syrian oil Is there oil and gas in Syria

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said that after the US launched "limited" airstrikes in the early hours of 04/14/18 on Syria, the US will continue its illegal presence in the country until the US reaches its targets in the area, - tells Whitney Webb .

A US unit under the pretext of fighting ISIS (banned in Russia) has been in Syria since 2015. Since then, American troops have become an occupying force. The United States currently occupies almost a third of Syria, including most of the land east of the Euphrates River, including large swathes of the Deir Ezzor, Al-Hasakah and Raqqah regions.

Although there are currently between 2,000 and 4,000 troops stationed there, the Americans have announced that they are preparing some kind of "border force" of 30,000 people, consisting of Kurds and Arabs allied to them. According to Washington's plans, the "border guards" will prevent the establishment of legitimate power in northeastern Syria.

However, after Turkey's harsh reaction to the American initiative, plans were slightly changed, but the US continues to train "local forces" in the area. Russian military sources claim that former members ISIS that remained after the defeat should be included in their ranks.

Thus, the American authorities do not intend to reunite Syria, but will continue to occupy this region in the long term, pursuing two goals: to keep resources for American corporations and to destabilize the situation up to a change of power in the country and in Iran.

Natural fuel resources

Northeast Syria is an important region due to the wealth of its natural resources, especially fossil fuels in the form of natural gas and oil. This area contains 95% of the entire Syrian oil and gas potential, including al-Omar, the country's largest oil field.

Before the war, these resources annually produced about 387,000 barrels of oil per day and 7.8 billion cubic meters of natural gas and were of great economic importance to the Syrian government. Today, almost all of Syria's existing oil reserves, estimated at 2.5 billion barrels, are located in the area occupied by US government forces.

In addition to Syria's largest oil field, the US and its collaborators also control the country's largest gas plant, Conoco. It can produce almost 50 million cubic feet of gas per day. This production was built by the American oil and gas giant ConocoPhillips, which operated it until 2005, that is, before the imposition of sanctions by US President Bush. Along with Conoco, other foreign oil companies such as Shell also left Syria.

During the current American occupation of the area, the oil and gas produced in the region is already benefiting US energy corporations, with whom Trump and his administration have numerous ties.

According to Yeni Shafak, the US, along with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Kurdish officials, held meetings where decisions were made to extract, process and sell fossil fuels collected in the region. The Kurds get a significant share of the profits. Since 2015, the Kurds have been reportedly earning more than $10 million a month on foreign fuel.

Syrian Kurdistan exports its oil to Iraqi Kurdistan, which is then sold to Turkey. Although US corporations are not officially involved in the scheme, the deal between the Syrian and Iraqi Kurds was backed by unnamed "oil experts" and "oil investors." There are no signed agreements between the Kurds in Syria and Iraq. The Kurds were simply informed of the decision and instructed to control the situation.

A source at the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq (KRG) told NOW News that the Kurds receive cash every month from representatives of more than 80 foreign companies involved in the oil trade, most of which are located in the US. In this regard, it is safe to assume that many of the same players are also involved in the process of plundering oil and gas reserves in Syrian territory occupied by the Kurds and the Americans.

Main corporate interests

This explains the mutual interest of the Trump administration and the US oil industry, since the dismissed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was previously the head of the oil company ExxonMobil. This corporation is unilaterally made an oil deal with the Iraqi Kurds behind the back of the Iraqi government and expressed interest in exploiting Syrian oil deposits in US-occupied territory.

ExxonMobil also played a major role in attempting to build a pipeline from Qatar, which Assad refused, which sparked the conflict in Syria. Trump himself, even before taking office, invested significant amounts not only in ExxonMobil, but also in 11 other large oil and gas companies, including Total, ConocoPhillips, BHP and Chevron.

Replacing Tillerson with Mike Pompeo didn't change anything, as the new secretary of state also has interests in the US oil and gas industry. Pompeo receives his stake from Koch Industries Corporation, which has significant interests in oil and gas exploration, drilling, pipeline construction and fossil fuel processing.

The United States believes that as soon as they leave this region, all the wealth will go to Russia. To some extent, they are right, since under the terms of the signed energy agreement between Russia and the Syrian government, Moscow will have exclusive rights to extract oil and gas in areas of Syria controlled by the Syrian authorities.

Since 2014, the US has been actively trying to limit the possibilities of the Russian fossil fuel sector, especially its export to Europe. America's goal is to replace the supplier of energy resources to Europe from Russia to the United States.

Back in 2014, former Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner wrote that it was possible to bring the Russian leader under control through the supply of natural energy. In his view, strengthening the Russian fossil fuel sector, whether in Syria or elsewhere, would undermine US strategic goals of maintaining a unipolar world.

However, not only oil and gas resources, but also the possibility of transiting the flow of hydrocarbons makes Syria a strategic player in the region. US control of northeastern Syria will have a major impact on future and existing pipelines. As The New York Times noted in 2013, "Syria's favorable location makes it the strategic center of the Middle East."

It is for this reason that much of the US policy in the Middle East has been aimed at seizing control of the territories with the further division of countries into safe transit routes for oil and gas. In relation to Syria, plans to divide the country were outlined as early as the 1940s, when European oil interests began to appear in the northeast of the country. Since then, several countries have tried to occupy parts of northern Syria to secure control of the region, including Turkey and Iraq.

A critical pipeline already exists in northeastern Syria, linking Syria's oil fields to the Ceyhan-Kirkuk pipeline. Although this pipeline was severely damaged in 2014, there are plans to renovate it or build a new pipeline next to the existing one. Thus, northeastern Syria is able to export oil to Turkey and further to Europe.

Obviously, this part of Syria remains key to US goals. According to the German publication Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten, the US has drawn up plans to build a new pipeline across northeast Syria from the Persian Gulf to northern Iraq and Turkey, with the ultimate goal of delivering oil to Europe.

Russia, for its part, opposes the plan as it seeks to maintain its own lucrative fossil fuel exports to Europe.

Water and earth

Another major asset located in northeastern Syria is water reserves. As you know, water in the Middle East is a resource of paramount importance. The U.S.-controlled part of Syria contains three of the world's largest freshwater reservoirs, fed by the Euphrates River.

The US now controls Lake Assad, which supplies Aleppo with much of its drinking water. In addition, the Tabqi dam located there supplies the area with generated electricity. Another key hydroelectric power plant is located at the Tishrin Dam and is also controlled by US forces and their collaborators.

In addition to the rich water resources in northeastern Syria there are almost 60% of arable land, which is the basis of the country's food independence.

Prior to the conflict, Syria had invested heavily in irrigation infrastructure in the area in order to Agriculture would not affect large-scale regional droughts. Much of this irrigation infrastructure is fed by the occupied Tabqi Dam. In total, water ensures the fertility of 640,000 hectares of agricultural land.

The United States is unlikely to expect to receive financial benefits from the control of the region's water and agricultural resources, but it has serious leverage in this regard.

Washington can easily cut off the supply of water and electricity to government territories in order to put pressure on the Syrian government and civilians.

Although such action is a war crime, the US has already cut off water supplies to the city of Raqqa during the battle to liberate it. Turkey has also shut off water from the Euphrates twice during the Syrian conflict to gain a strategic advantage.

By controlling much of the country's water and agricultural land, not to mention its fossil fuel resources, the US occupation not only serves its purpose of destabilizing power in Syria by depriving it of income, but also frustrates the efforts of Syria and its allies to preserve the integrity of the country.

In addition, the United States is doing everything to create enclaves of Wahhabis from Saudi Arabia there, following the example of Idlib, where large-scale terrorist forces are now concentrated.

Thus, the United States is gradually trying to achieve one of the main goals - to divide Syria, tearing off the north-east of the country from it.

It is no coincidence that throughout the Syrian conflict, the US government has repeatedly stated that partition is the "only" solution to the ongoing "sectarian" conflict in Syria, cynically silent that it was for the sake of tearing the country that this conflict was started.

The newly appointed John Bolton makes no secret of the fact that the United States should unite northeastern Syria with northwestern Iraq and create a new territorial entity there with the working name "Sunnistan". This new "ersatz state" will control the two countries' fossil fuel resources, as well as key water and agricultural resources.

Bolton called on the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, to finance the creation of this state. The Trump administration is trying to negotiate a "deal" by handing the area over to the Saudis for $4 billion to be spent on the required infrastructural reconstruction, while keeping its own interests in mind.

Strategic goal - Iran

Control over key resources to divide Syria and destabilize the government in Damascus is a primary but still intermediate goal. The strategic task of the United States is Iran.

In 2002, the American analytical firm Stratfor reported that the occupation of northeast Syria would greatly complicate the land route between Syria and Iran, and the land route between Iran and Lebanon. Tillerson, speaking at Stanford University, noted that "weakening" Iran's influence in Syria is a key goal for the United States and one of the main reasons for the occupation of northeast Syria.

As the process of a peaceful settlement of the situation in Syria progresses, it becomes more and more obvious for its leadership that in a country almost completely destroyed by the war, it is time to start establishing a peaceful life and production. At least in those territories that have already been liberated from terrorists.

For some reason, many observers like to say that, they say, “Syria is not Libya, it does not have large stocks oil and gas". This is a very common misconception.

4th in reserves in the Middle East

According to energy expert Osama Monahid of the Middle East Carnegie Center, Syria today ranks fourth in terms of reserves among oil and gas producing countries in the Middle East, especially after Norwegian specialists explored the largest gas fields on its territory.

Prior to the start of the civil war, oil reserves in Syrian fields were estimated at 2.5 billion barrels. At the same time, Syrian oil and gas fields are concentrated mainly in the eastern and northeastern parts of the country - they are connected by pipelines to Damascus, Homs and Aleppo. Before the West began to systematically flood the country with thugs from all over the world, the level of oil production in Syria in 2010 was 386,000 barrels per day.

As the civil war flared up in the country, it systematically fell, amounting to 186,000 barrels in 2012. Today, due to the destruction of infrastructure and the seizure of deposits by IS 1 militants, the Syrian government officially produces only 20,000 barrels per day.

A small Norwegian company even before the war carried out geological exploration in Syrian territorial waters, and found 14 huge oil pools on the shelf. Among them are the four largest deposits in the area from the Lebanese border to the Syrian city of Banias.

Analysts from the US Geological Survey have estimated the undiscovered reserves of the Jabal Nafti offshore field on the border of Syria and Lebanon, in the amount of 3 to 17 billion barrels of "black gold". Its development can "catapult" Syria into the ranks of the most advanced countries, providing oil production at the level of today's Kuwait. According to experts, in peaceful conditions, and even with a stable level of investment in exploration, Damascus could produce 6-7 million barrels of "black gold" per day - only half as much as Saudi Arabia.

Also in the pre-war period in Syria, Norwegian specialists found colossal volumes of gas. According to their estimates, only proven gas reserves in this country amount to 284 billion cubic meters, and oil shale - 50 billion tons. However, in order to extract all these riches from the bowels, Damascus needs to free most of the deposits from the terrorists "attached" to them, and then invest tens of millions of dollars more in production.

How long will it take to recover

According to economic blogger Oleg Makarenko, Syrian industry and production can be restored relatively quickly. Indeed, in Syria, even taking into account the huge military losses and mass emigration of the population, there are tens of thousands of specialists who can quickly recall their professional skills and get down to business.

Factories, especially oil refineries, can be restored quite quickly, since there are still thousands of qualified personnel left in Syria. If there is personnel, then it is possible to restore both production and production chains. Yes, it costs a lot of money - but it is possible, - Makarenko is sure. – Remember how the USSR and Germany were recovering after the Second World War: the work of factories was resumed in a matter of months, although the cities were almost completely destroyed.

In order to begin a full-fledged restoration of the extractive industry, Syria will first have to be freed from terrorists and put under reliable government control. After all, even the most modest "investments of the first stage" in the extraction of "black gold" amount to tens of millions of dollars. No company in the world, including the Russian Gazprom or Rosneft, would spend that kind of money on new wells or rehabilitating old ones if the risk persists that they could again fall into the hands of ISIS or Jabhat al-Nusra militants. "(organizations are prohibited in the Russian Federation).

Thus, the Syrian army now needs a slow, but systematic advance on a broad front in the direction of Palmyra and a reliable anchorage in the oil fields around it. Only in this case, investors will be able to participate in the development of gas and oil fields there.

Perspective

As for future prospects, their implementation will again require a slow advance towards Deir ez-Zor, where the main proven oil reserves are concentrated. Now they are controlled by ISIS 1, taking advantage of the proximity of the Iraqi border, from where they are constantly replenished with militants and weapons. Therefore, gaining control over the Deir ez-Zor fields is a rather distant prospect.

But the restoration of the two largest oil refineries in Syria, in last years practically idle due to the capture of deposits by the rebels, you can start in the near future. According to experts, these two enterprises never fell into the hands of militants during the Syrian war, and suffered very little from accidental bombing.

In general, the development of the oil industry will give a very effective impetus to the development of Syria, and it's not just about money. In the course of reconstruction, many workers will be needed, unemployment will disappear, and the population will believe in the prospects of their country.

1 The organization is prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation.

According to the framework agreement on energy cooperation signed at the end of January, Russia will receive the exclusive right to extract gas and oil in Syria.

The agreement goes far beyond agreements that describe the terms of cooperation in the field of repair and restoration of drilling rigs and production infrastructure. The Russians will also train a new generation of Syrian oil workers and provide energy consulting. Thanks to this step, Moscow will be able to strengthen its position in the Middle East.

Due to the ongoing war since 2011, the Syrian energy sector has fallen into disrepair. Local refineries are in need of a massive upgrade. Before the war, their capacity was 250 thousand barrels per day, now it has halved. As long as the embargo imposed by the EU is in effect, Syria cannot count on the support of European companies in Syria. Neither Brussels nor Washington will lift the ban on the import of Syrian hydrocarbons for political reasons: the military operations that have been going on for more than six years have not led to regime change, Bashar al-Assad remains in power, who is accused of using chemical weapons and other crimes.

Russia, Iran and Syria

Countries that could help the Syrians rebuild the oil and gas sector are Russia and Iran. According to the agreements signed in September last year, the launch of Syrian oil refineries and the restoration of destroyed energy networks were supposed to be carried out by Iranian companies. The front of work is very large: it will be necessary to launch new projects on land and at sea, to upgrade outdated equipment. At the same time, it should be taken into account that domestic demand for hydrocarbons will grow, since additional energy capacities will be needed to restore the economy destroyed by the war. Obviously, without help from outside Syria, it will not be possible to quickly breathe new life into the mining sector.

Tehran was counting on the emergence of an Iran-Venezuela-Syria consortium that could put these plans into practice, but due to serious economic problems that have arisen near Caracas, we will have to look for other solutions. At the moment, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has succeeded in achieving one of its goals - to take control of the Syrian telecommunications sector.

Russia, against which European and American sanctions continue to operate, is not afraid of restrictive measures: it has long learned how to successfully cope with them. The steps taken by the Kremlin indicate that it intends to achieve a dominant position in this part of the world. His long term strategy seems to include rebuilding the Syrian oil and gas sector.

In 2015, the International Monetary Fund estimated that $27 billion would have to be spent on this goal, but according to the latest data, the figure has increased to $35-40 billion. This money will be needed to restore the entire infrastructure (pipelines, pumping stations, and so on), which can only be restarted after repairs have been made. For political reasons, the process will not affect the northern provinces occupied by the Syrian Kurds, where there are large oil fields. The future of deposits (including the largest one, Al-Omar) in territories controlled by forces that enjoy the support of the West, and not the Syrian army, also remains unclear.

Who will produce oil and gas in Syria?

It is still unknown which Russian company will be engaged in the restoration of the Syrian energy sector. In the first four years of the war, Soyuzneftegaz worked in Syria, but in 2015 he decided to leave this country. Another candidate is Tatneft, which develops oil and gas fields in Tatarstan. Syria was one of the first countries where this Russian company tried its hand at international market, so that when favorable conditions arise, she will want to return there. In addition, there are chances that such state giants as Rosneft and Gazpromneft will decide to join their competitor.

In 2002, Syria produced 677,000 barrels of oil per day. Before the start of the civil war, this figure was 380 thousand barrels, and now it has fallen to a level of 14-15 thousand barrels. The decline in gas production was not as significant due to the important role that this raw material plays in the Syrian economy: 90% of the blue gold mined in the country is used to generate electricity. In the pre-war period, the volume of production reached 8 billion cubic meters per year, now it is 3.5 billion cubic meters.

Before the war Syrian oil was mainly exported to Europe, this was facilitated geographical position countries and the fact that the main players in this sector of the Syrian economy were such European companies like Shell and Total. Since the European ban on the supply of Syrian oil continues to operate, the new owner of the production infrastructure will have to find new markets for Syrian hydrocarbons. In this context, it seems logical to focus on the countries of the region: Turkey or Lebanon.

From an economic point of view, it is more profitable for Russia to take control of gas fields. Gas is the main raw material for electricity generation in Syria, which means that domestic market demand for it will remain stable. In addition, there is a high probability that there is a field on the Syrian continental shelf in the eastern Mediterranean Sea that is not inferior in terms of reserves to the Zohr, Leviathan and Aphrodite fields.

The goal is a dominant position in the region

Moscow is seeking to consolidate its position in Southwest Asia. Rosneft and Gazprom Neft are operating in Iraqi Kurdistan, Eastern countries in the Mediterranean basin, Novatek is engaged in gas production from offshore fields. Oil and gas are not only energy resources. First of all, they are needed by the chemical industry for the manufacture of ubiquitous plastics, lubricants, pesticides, medicines, as well as for obtaining a variety of substances necessary for the production of other materials and products, including chemical fertilizers. Modern man cannot imagine life without all this.

If Russia manages to take control of the Syrian fields, it will receive a non-military instrument of influence on international politics and will be able to influence OPEC more effectively. The Kremlin is ready to direct a lot of resources, both financial, intellectual and human, to satisfy its geopolitical ambitions.

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FOURTEEN oil and gas basins have been found in Syrian territorial waters, the details of which have been kept secret until now. Exploratory drilling was carried out by the Norwegian company "Ancis".

On April 1, 2013, Dr. Shuajbi said in the program "Dialogue of Time" on the TV channel "Al Majjaddin": "In the course of geological research conducted by the Norwegian company Ancis, 14 oil fields were discovered in the territorial waters off the coast of Syria."

Shuazhbi also said that four more oil fields lie below the horizon of these 14 fields, which stretch from the Lebanese border to the Syrian city of Banias. Thus, the estimated volumes of oil are such that the volume of oil production in Syria can be compared with the current oil production in Kuwait. Four other oil fields, which also extend under the territory of Lebanon, Cyprus and Israel, are approximately comparable in size to those mentioned above.

Newly discovered Syrian oil fields

As he explained, thanks to the discovered deposits, Syria could break into fourth place in the world. And the volume of oil that Syria can produce per day will reach 6-7 million barrels per day (for comparison, Saudi Arabia produces 12 million barrels per day).

Shuajbi said that large undeveloped reserves of natural gas have also been discovered in Syria. These deposits are located on the territory of the Kara region. When asked if it was beneficial to have such energy resources at the disposal of a politically very volatile region, Dr. Shuajbi replied that these oil reserves have now become a real "curse" for Syria.

Thus, Syria has become a strategic location not only for the Middle East, but for the whole world. As Dr. Shuazhbi emphasized, it is because of this that the “undeclared war” against Syria and the “war over natural gas and pipelines” arose.

And the one who started this war against Syria plans to then stretch the gas pipeline across the entire territory of "ravaged" Syria from Qatar to Europe. As the expert noted, gas from Qatar is closer to Europe than gas from Russia. Therefore, when pipelines are laid through the territory of Syria, natural gas from Qatar will cost Europe less than natural gas from Russia.

It should also be added that the secret results of oil exploration in Syria were sold by the Norwegians to an international oil company, or rather to the CGS concern and the American business group VERITAS. The group conducted additional exploration in Syria in 2010 and is believed to have discovered several more new oil and gas fields. However, VERITAS does not disclose this information.

According to the framework agreement on energy cooperation signed at the end of January, Russia will receive the exclusive right to extract gas and oil in Syria.

The agreement goes far beyond agreements that describe the terms of cooperation in the field of repair and restoration of drilling rigs and production infrastructure. The Russians will also train a new generation of Syrian oil workers and provide energy consulting. Thanks to this step, Moscow will be able to strengthen its position in the Middle East.

Due to the ongoing war since 2011, the Syrian energy sector has fallen into disrepair. Local refineries are in need of a massive upgrade. Before the war, their capacity was 250 thousand barrels per day, now it has halved. As long as the embargo imposed by the EU is in effect, Syria cannot count on the support of European companies in Syria. Neither Brussels nor Washington will lift the ban on the import of Syrian hydrocarbons for political reasons: the military operations that have been going on for more than six years have not led to regime change, Bashar al-Assad remains in power, who is accused of using chemical weapons and other crimes.

Russia, Iran and Syria

Context

Syria: War or Scramble for Gas?

Russia has eyes on Syrian gas

On the "difficult everyday life" of the oil and gas sector of Iran

Tehran counted on the emergence of an Iran-Venezuela-Syria consortium that could put these plans into practice, but due to the serious economic problems that have arisen in Caracas, other solutions will have to be found. At the moment, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has succeeded in achieving one of its goals - to take control of the Syrian telecommunications sector.

Russia, against which European and American sanctions continue to operate, is not afraid of restrictive measures: it has long learned how to successfully cope with them. The steps taken by the Kremlin indicate that it intends to achieve a dominant position in this part of the world. His long-term strategy appears to include rebuilding the Syrian oil and gas sector.

In 2015, the International Monetary Fund estimated that $27 billion would have to be spent on this goal, but according to the latest data, the figure has increased to $35-40 billion. This money will be needed to restore the entire infrastructure (pipelines, pumping stations, and so on), which can only be restarted after repairs have been made. For political reasons, the process will not affect the northern provinces occupied by the Syrian Kurds, where there are large oil fields. The future of deposits (including the largest one, Al-Omar) in territories controlled by forces that enjoy the support of the West, and not the Syrian army, also remains unclear.

Who will produce oil and gas in Syria?

It is still unknown which Russian company will be engaged in the restoration of the Syrian energy sector. In the first four years of the war, Soyuzneftegaz worked in Syria, but in 2015 he decided to leave this country. Another candidate is Tatneft, which develops oil and gas fields in Tatarstan. Syria was one of the first countries where this Russian company tried its hand at the international market, so when favorable conditions appear, it will want to return there. In addition, there are chances that such state giants as Rosneft and Gazpromneft will decide to join their competitor.

In 2002, Syria produced 677,000 barrels of oil per day. Before the start of the civil war, this figure was 380 thousand barrels, and now it has fallen to a level of 14-15 thousand barrels. The decline in gas production was not as significant due to the important role that this raw material plays in the Syrian economy: 90% of the blue gold mined in the country is used to generate electricity. In the pre-war period, the volume of production reached 8 billion cubic meters per year, now it is 3.5 billion cubic meters.

Before the war, Syrian oil was mainly exported to Europe, this was facilitated by the country's geographical location and the fact that European companies such as Shell and Total were the main players in this sector of the Syrian economy. Since the European ban on the supply of Syrian oil continues to operate, the new owner of the production infrastructure will have to find new markets for Syrian hydrocarbons. In this context, it seems logical to focus on the countries of the region: Turkey or Lebanon.

From an economic point of view, it is more profitable for Russia to take control of gas fields. Gas is the main raw material for electricity production in Syria, which means that demand for it in the domestic market will remain stable. In addition, there is a high probability that there is a field on the Syrian continental shelf in the eastern Mediterranean Sea that is not inferior in terms of reserves to the Zohr, Leviathan and Aphrodite fields.

The goal is a dominant position in the region

Moscow is seeking to consolidate its position in Southwest Asia. Rosneft and Gazprom Neft are operating in Iraqi Kurdistan, while Novatek is producing offshore gas in the eastern countries of the Mediterranean Sea. Oil and gas are not only energy resources. First of all, they are needed by the chemical industry for the manufacture of ubiquitous plastics, lubricants, pesticides, medicines, as well as for obtaining a variety of substances necessary for the production of other materials and products, including chemical fertilizers. Modern man cannot imagine life without all this.

If Russia manages to take control of the Syrian fields, it will receive a non-military instrument of influence on international politics and will be able to influence OPEC more effectively. The Kremlin is ready to direct a lot of resources, both financial, intellectual and human, to satisfy its geopolitical ambitions.

The materials of InoSMI contain only assessments of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the editors of InoSMI.