Russia Hopes Nord Stream 2 Project Ready Before German Elections - Ambassador

BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th May, 2021) Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechayev said on Saturday that he hoped Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline can be finished before the German Bundestag elections, scheduled for September 26, amid calls for its suspension from the opposition parties.

"I really hope that it [the gas pipeline] will be ready before the Bundestag elections. The project's completion date relies now on the weather conditions. If they improve, we will move faster. Work is underway, there are about 100 kilometers [62 miles] left," the ambassador said in an interview to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND).

He stressed that Russia and Germany have been cooperating on gas supplies for over 50 years.

"It worked even at the peak of the Cold War. Now the question is whether we want to bury 10 billion Euros [$12 billion] on the sea floor. It is up to Europe to decide," the ambassador stated.

Earlier in the week, the candidate for chancellor from Germany's Green Party, Annalena Baerbock, spoke out against the completion of the construction and launch of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

On May 3, Berlin-based environmental NGO Nabu filed a lawsuit against the project claiming it could damage the Baltic Sea's fragile marine ecosystem. The start date of hearings is pending.

Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of the Russian energy company Gazprom and five European partners. It aims to construct a twin pipeline that will deliver up to 2 trillion cubic feet of Russian gas to Germany annually under the Baltic Sea. The United States is opposed to the project, seeking to export more of its liquefied natural gas to Europe.

The pipeline's construction was suspended in December 2019 after US sanctions forced Swiss pipelay company Allseas to withdraw from the project. The construction resumed last December and is 95% complete.