US, Several European Foreign Affairs Committee Chairs Express Opposition To Nord Stream 2

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd August, 2021) Foreign affairs committee chairs of the US Senate and several European parliaments on Monday jointly expressed opposition to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project and called on NATO to strengthen deterrence against an alleged threat from Russia.

"We, the Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees of our respective national parliaments, continue to oppose the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project and with regret note the recent decision of the United States and Germany on Nord Stream 2, which entails resuming completion of the pipeline," the joint statement said. "In the changing security environment in the region, we call for commitments from NATO to strengthen deterrence, especially on the Eastern Flank from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea."

The foreign affairs committee chairs from the US, UK, Poland, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Ireland insist that any further agreements on Nord Stream 2 should include mandatory consultations across the transatlantic community based on the fundamental principle of countering alleged Russian aggression.

In July, Germany and the US struck a deal that implies the completion of the Nord Stream 2 twin pipeline without the threat of American sanctions. Among the conditions stipulated in the deal, Germany vowed to prevent Russia from "using energy as a weapon" and to use all possible leverage to prolong Russian gas transit through Ukraine. However, Kiev sees the pipeline as a threat to its energy security. Currently, the pipeline is reported to be 99 percent completed.