Representatives of German businesses are confident that it is necessary to keep both gas transit from Russia to Europe through Ukraine as well as to launch the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which will help stabilize gas supplies to the continent, deputy chairman of the board of the German Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, Cathrina Claas-Muhlhauser, said on Friday
BOCHAROV RUCHEY (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th December, 2019) Representatives of German businesses are confident that it is necessary to keep both gas transit from Russia to Europe through Ukraine as well as to launch the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which will help stabilize gas supplies to the continent, deputy chairman of the board of the German Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, Cathrina Claas-Muhlhauser, said on Friday."We are convinced that it is important to maintain a transit network in Ukraine in order to supply Russian gas to Europe reliably in the long term. We are also confident that the Nord Stream 2 project should be a great success, we need both. Because gas demand is growing, and gas through a pipe is the best way to deliver it," Claas-Muhlhauser said during a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and representatives of German business.
The deputy chairman also noted that the energy sector was very important for resolving existing conflicts.
"An important factor for overcoming conflicts is the energy dialogue between the EU, Ukraine and Russia, as we all know, pre-conditions can be created for gas transit from Russia through Ukraine by the end of the year. Time is running out, these negotiations can be used to build trust and find compromises acceptable to all parties," Claas-Muhlhauser stressed.
The current gas transit contract between Russia and Ukraine expires at the end of 2019. At the latest trilateral consultations with the participation of the European Commission in October, Russia stressed the need for a "package solution," combining the transit issue with litigation and the issue of gas supplies to Ukraine, but no progress was made in that regard.
