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German government continues viewing Nord Stream 2 as economic project, says spokesman

Steffen Seibert stated that the project "has a political side"

BERLIN, December 17. /TASS/. Germany continues viewing the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline as an economic project and Berlin has not changed its position in this regard, official spokesman of the Germany’s government Steffen Seibert said at a briefing on Monday.

The pipeline laying "is an economic project that has a political side," Seibert said. "We need clarity regarding the Ukraine’s role as the gas supplier after 2019," he noted.

"The basic position of the federal government has not changed," the spokesman added.

On Saturday, the US State Department welcomed the European Parliament’s resolution on Ukraine and the Nord Stream 2 as well as the decision of the EU heads of state and government to extend sectoral economic sanctions against Russia for another six months. Deputy State Department Spokesperson Robert Palladino called on Germany to "heed the concerns of the many neighbors whose security will be damaged by this pipeline." He also noted that the US would continue to work with European partners and allies to "present a unified front against the Kremlin’s aggression."

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is expected to come into service at the end of 2019. The pipeline is set to run along the Russian Baltic Sea coast bed to the German shore. Each of the pipeline’s two stretches will have a capacity of 27.5 bln cubic meters. The new pipeline will double the capacity of the first stretch and will basically follow its route. The total cost of the pipeline is estimated at 9.5 bln euro.