ST. PETERSBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd July, 2021) The agreement between the United States and Germany on Nord Stream 2 will contribute to the consolidation of Europe after a period of division over the gas project, Sergey Henke, a member of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, told Sputnik.
On Wednesday, Berlin and Washington � the pipeline's biggest supporter and opponent in the West, respectively � signed a deal allowing for the unhindered completion of Nord Stream 2. The United States committed to refraining from sanctions against the gas project, while Germany vowed to ensure that Russia does not use the pipeline as a "weapon." The deal also committed the sides to facilitating a 10-year extension of Russia's gas transit agreement with Ukraine.
"The project had added to dissociation in Europe. It was a serious conflict that divided the West, divided Europe, which now needs to be united amid the growing threat of the Chinese expansion. Germany is America's main partner on the European continent, that is why it is important that Germany signed this deal," Henke said.
The Nord Stream 2 project provides for the construction of a 745-mile offshore twin pipeline, aimed to supply up to 1.9 trillion cubic feet of gas per year from Russia directly to Germany. Ukraine and several eastern European member states, benefiting from the transit of EU-bound Russian gas, called on the European Union to abandon the project, citing the bloc's perceived over-dependence on Moscow.
Russia has insisted that the project is entirely commercial, urging critics to stop politicizing Nord Stream 2.
