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German ambassador upbeat on Nord Stream 2’s future after Denmark's go-ahead

Earlier, at the request of Nord Stream 2 AG, the Danish Energy Agency (DEA) gave the go-ahead to use vessels in an unfinished section of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline running along the southeast of Bornholm Island

MOSCOW, July 7./TASS/. German Ambassador to Russia Geza Andreas von Geyr expressed his optimism Tuesday about the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline given Copenhagen’s recent decision to greenlight the continuation of the construction.

"Over the past few days, we have seen positive developments unfold. Denmark gave its permission to carry on the work, so that’s why I am optimistic that Nord Stream 2 will be completed despite the delay," the diplomat told an online briefing.

He also stressed that Washington’s sanctions over the construction of the gas pipeline "won’t change the stance of the German authorities on Nord Stream 2". Von Geyr emphasized that Berlin deems Washington’s exterritorial sanctions to pressure the project into being scrapped as illegitimate.

At the same briefing, EU Ambassador to Russia Markus Ederer said that the European Union was against sanctions being imposed on European companies engaged in legitimate business.

Earlier, at the request of Nord Stream 2 AG, the Danish Energy Agency (DEA) gave the go-ahead to use vessels in an unfinished section of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline running along the southeast of Bornholm Island.

The Nord Stream 2 project involves building two gas pipeline branches with a total capacity of 55 bln cubic meters to be pumped annually from Russia to Germany across the Baltic Sea. The gas pipeline has been 93% completed to date. The delay in the project was due to the fact that at the end of December 2019, as a result of US sanctions, Switzerland’s Allseas halted work on the gas pipeline and withdrew its vessels. Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller reassured that the pipeline would be completed anyway. In January, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that before the end of this year, or in Q1 2021, work on the project would be completed and the gas pipeline would be commissioned.