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Latvia tries to hinder Nord Stream-2 project at any cost — Russian Foreign Ministry

This mentality does the Latvian diplomacy no credit," the Foreign Ministry said

MOSCOW, May 25. /TASS/. The Latvian authorities have been trying to pose obstructions to the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline project at any cost, even through outright fraud, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a commentary.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that at a time when there were no real legal grounds for resisting the implementation of this promising and economically beneficial project "its opponents each time have to invent ever more exotic ‘arguments’ to excuse their destructive stance."

"In this context one cannot but take note of the Latvian Foreign Ministry’s instructions addressed to its ministers containing ‘the correct’ explanation of the government’s decision to refrain from support for Nord Stream-2-related activities. In terms of absurdity these recommendations surpass all previous statements about this project ever uttered by Latvian officials," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"An example of this can be seen in the attempts to fan fears over a threat to the unity of the EU and NATO that may emerge should the pipes be stored in the territory of the Ventspils port or in case of infiltrations of ‘Russian spies’ into the country for harming ‘the fundamental principles of nature conservation’," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. "One cannot but envy the zeal of the Latvian Foreign Ministry displayed in its attempts to hinder the Nord Stream project at any cost, even by means of outright distortions. This mentality does the Latvian diplomacy no credit," the commentary runs.

Nord Stream is scheduled to go operational at the end of 2019. Construction work will begin in 2018. The pipeline is to be laid under the Baltic Sea from Russia’s coast to Germany. Each of the two pipes has a throughput of 27.5 billion cubic meters a year.