Austrian OMV Executive Board member Manfred Leitner said on Tuesday that most probably Nord Stream 2 project would be launched in late 2019
VIENNA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th January, 2019) Austrian OMV Executive board member Manfred Leitner said on Tuesday that most probably Nord Stream 2 project would be launched in late 2019 ."I say nine [out of ten]," Leitner told Der Standard, answering a question on how he would assess on a scale from one to ten the probability that Nord Stream 2 would be launched in 2019.
Speaking about Washington's reaction and its desire to close the project, Leitner noted that economic interests, as well as interests of the authorities, come first in this case.
"I am grateful that the Austrian government took a clear position on this issue, and the position of the German government is still clear. Ultimately, clients will decide whether the project is successful," he added.
Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of Gazprom and five European companies. The project envisages the construction of two gas pipelines that will run from Russia, through the Baltic Sea and to a hub in Germany, bypassing Ukraine entirely. It aims to deliver 55 billion cubic meters (1.9 trillion cubic feet) of Russian natural gas to the EU states every year. The pipeline project has been welcomed by some countries in Europe and opposed by others, including the United States. In that context, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the US leader wanted to protect the interests of US businesses in the area of the liquefied natural gas deliveries to Europe.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has repeatedly noted that Berlin considers the Nord Stream 2 as a commercial project. Russia has repeatedly stated that the Nord Stream 2 project was completely commercial and competitive, insisting that it did not imply that the transit of Russian gas to the European Union through Ukraine would be terminated.
