Nord Stream 2, the joint Russian-European gas- and hydrogen-carrying pipeline running from Russia to northeastern Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, was completed and made ready for operation late last year. The pipeline’s certification is now being held up by German regulators, with Gazprom saying this process may drag on until spring.
The Russian side will comply with all required norms during the certification of Nord Stream 2, and hopes the process is not artificially delayed or politicized, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said.
“The commissioning of Nord Stream 2 will constitute a significant contribution to ensuring the energy security of the entire European Union. The procedure for its certification by German regulators and the European Commission should not be artificially delayed or politicised. It must be carried out in strict accordance with existing standards, which we intend to strictly comply with,” the Ministry said in a statement released on its website on Monday.
The Ministry noted that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his German counterpart would discuss a broad range of issues at their meeting Tuesday. “There will be an in-depth exchange of views on the most pressing international problems, primarily the implementation of Russian proposals for comprehensive security guarantees in Europe,” the statement said.
Earlier in the day, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned that the West would take “appropriate measures” against the gas infrastructure megaproject in the event of an escalation over Ukraine, and recalled that Berlin and Washington had adopted a joint statement on the matter last year.
Source: Sputnik
