The construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which is set to carry gas from Russia to Europe, will be completed regardless of the reaction of the outgoing US administration or the new one, Waldemar Gerdt, a member of the Bundestag committee on foreign affairs from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, told Sputnik on Thursday
BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th December, 2020) The construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which is set to carry gas from Russia to Europe, will be completed regardless of the reaction of the outgoing US administration or the new one, Waldemar Gerdt, a member of the Bundestag committee on foreign affairs from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, told Sputnik on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Reuters reported, citing senior officials from US President Donald Trump's Administration, that the White House was going to introduce in coming weeks a fresh round of sanctions that are said to deal a fatal blow to the gas pipeline project.
"Whatever the situation in the US, one thing unites them all, this is a huge unwillingness for relations between Russia and Germany to be established, to have a constructive, businesslike nature. Nord Stream 2 will be completed regardless of how the new or old [US] administration behaves," Gerdt said.
According to the lawmaker, the completion of the pipeline will be a serious test of the German government for the sovereignty of its decisions.
The politician believes that Berlin has no choice but to support the project, as Germany, as well as the EU, are currently experiencing a shortage of energy sources. Washington's desire to sabotage the pipeline's construction only contributes to Berlin's rapprochement with Moscow, Gerdt added.
The Nord Stream 2 project aims at laying a 745-mile-long twin pipeline that will carry up to 2 trillion cubic feet of gas per year from Russia to Germany. The US opposes the project and has been seeking to export more liquefied natural gas to Europe. Moscow has described Washington's actions, including the threat of sanctions, as a desire for unfair competition.
The pipeline's construction stalled a year ago after a threat of US sanctions forced Swiss pipelay company Allseas to withdraw from the project with just 100 miles of the pipeline left to lay. In late November, Nord Stream 2 AG operator said that it was planning to resume laying pipes in the German exclusive economic zone this year.
