The huge Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, which is to connect Russia and Germany, has often come under political crossfire in recent years.
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At present, Merkel’s office said the German chancellor was convinced that “nothing could be ruled out” in the Berlin response to Moscow’s categorical refusal to acknowledge its involvement in the Alexei Navalny poisoning case.
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Navalny, a key figure in the Russian opposition, was poisoned in Siberia at the end of August and transferred shortly afterwards from Omsk to Berlin, where the opposition is also recovering. The results of toxicological analyzes show that “it is undoubtedly clear that Navalny, contrary to what Russian doctors say, has been poisoned by a nerve agent, most likely from the Novichok family.”
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German Foreign Minister Heiko Sister said on Sunday that the Kremlin’s reaction, categorically denying any responsibility for poisoning the opposition, could determine whether Germany would continue to support the Nord Stream 2 project being built by Russian gas company Gazprom or refuse to complete it.
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Merkel’s spokesman Stephen Zaibert admitted at a press conference on Monday that Merkel is also thinking about linking the two cases, which does not rule out the possibility of punishing Russia for a deliberate attempt by the Kremlin critic and opposition to poison. Berlin admits that it is not a question of the “end of the year” but of the “near time” when Germany will take the final decision on the fate of Nord Stream 2.
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The scandalous project, the construction of which began in 2018, receives funding from five energy sector groups, and a total of around 600 smaller companies are involved in the project. To date, 1,855 kilometers of gas pipeline in Russian, Finnish, Swedish and German territorial waters have been completed, and the Nord Stream 2 project is currently in its “final stages”.
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Gas pipeline in US sight
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The second gas pipeline follows the existing seabed pipeline, Nord Stream 1. The United States has long criticized European countries for relying too heavily on Russia’s energy resources. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose sanctions on companies involved in the project, including from Germany, to stop the project.
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The Merkel-led coalition has always advocated the need for a gas pipeline, but Nord Stream 2 could become part of Germany’s response to the Navalny poisoning. Representatives of the German Ministry of Economics told Reuters that the suspension would “have a significant impact on the country’s energy sector”.
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Oliver Hermess, head of the German Oriental Business Association (OAOEV), which includes 350 companies, warned that the suspension of the construction of the gas pipeline could lead to a situation where investors refuse to support projects implemented by the European Union and Germany in particular.
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“In the end, the project was approved by both the European Union and all the necessary authorities in Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Finland,” said Hermes.
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It is pointed out that suspending the project would mean lower gas supplies and higher prices for Europe. That is why experts call on European policymakers to look for other procurement partners, such as buying gas from the US, liquefied natural gas from Qatar, or building a gas pipeline from Algeria, Libya or Azerbaijan.
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The Russian newspaper Kommersant reported on Monday that Gazprom is going to extend its agreements with Germany even if the Nord Stream 2 project is not implemented.
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Meanwhile, Russia’s ambassador to Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, expressed suspicions about the final stage of construction of the Nord Stream and the timing of the Navalny poisoning case.
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It is a suspicious coincidence that the poisoning of Navalny took place at the same time as the last Nord Stream 2 construction work. Some countries are desperately trying to close the project. I am not a supporter of conspiracy theories, but it is obvious that the tragic events in connection with Navalny are taking place at a time that is having a positive effect on Nord Stream 2’s opponents, “said Ulyanov.
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