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Tuesday, 20 April 2021 (YJC)_German Chancellor defends Nord Stream 2, Says EU-level disagreements on pipeline result of ‘political struggle’.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stepped out in defence of Nord Stream 2 and Russian gas supplies in general, indicating that Berlin continues to favour the project in spite of the position of some other European nations.
“I am aware of the controversies in connection to Nord Stream 2, I know the position of many PACE [Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe] member countries,” Merkel said, speaking at a virtual spring session of the PACE on Tuesday.
“As the European Union, we came to a common position by modifying the gas directive to authorize this pipeline. I would like to point out that gas from Nord Stream 2, which is not yet flowing, is no worse than gas from Nord Stream 1, gas arriving via transit through Ukraine, or gas which comes from Russia through Turkey,” the chancellor said.
Merkel suggested that she had the “impression” that the conflict around Nord Stream 2 was much bigger than the pipeline itself, and instead part of a broader “political struggle” related to numerous disagreements between Russia and the EU.
“We may see here a conflict that is much broader and focused on the question of how much we want to support trade with Russia, particularly in the energy sector,” Merkel said. She emphasized that Berlin had secured Ukraine’s role as a transit nation for the delivery of Russian gas to Europe, thus guaranteeing the nation billions of dollars in much-needed transit revenues even after Nord Stream 2 is complete.
The chancellor’s comments came following a proposal by former president of the European Council Donald Tusk on Monday to “stop Nord Stream 2” to end “Russian aggression against Ukraine.” The United States, which has already slapped the project with two rounds of sanctions, has also recently threatened to impose new restrictions, while German opposition politicians have hounded Merkel on the issue in her home country.
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