Purchase of Qatari LNG not off the table, says German chancellor

The purchase of Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) is not off the table as there are ongoing talks in Qatar on an agreement, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Friday.

"German companies are in very concrete talks," Scholz told the Munich-based Focus news magazine, but declined to give any further details.

Germany is trying to replace missing gas supplies from Russia, among other things, with LNG supplies, for which several terminals are being built on the North and Baltic Seas.

Qatar, which has recently signed a long-term gas deal with China, has the third largest gas reserves in the world after Russia and Iran and is the leading LNG exporter.