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Completion of Nord Stream 2 project should not depend on Navalny case — German cabinet

The deputy government spokesperson referred to the words of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said last week that Nord Stream 2 should be completed

BERLIN, September 2. /TASS/. The German government believes that it is inappropriate to link the implementation of Nord Stream 2 with the situation around blogger Alexei Navalny, Ulrike Demmer, deputy government spokesperson and deputy head of the Press and Information Office of the Federal Government announced on Wednesday.

She referred to the words of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said last week that Nord Stream 2 should be completed.

"From the Chancellor's point of view, it would be inappropriate to link this project, which is being implemented on the part of business, with the situation around Navalny, " Demmer said.

She noted that the project has "political background." In particular, according to her, it is necessary to ensure the transit of Russian gas through the territory of Ukraine.

Navanly was hospitalized in Omsk on August 20 after his health deteriorated rapidly during his flight from Tomsk to Moscow. In the hospital, he remained in a coma and was plugged to a ventilator. Later, he was transferred to the Charite clinic in Berlin. The Charite medics announced that they had discovered traces of intoxication. Currently, the intoxication symptoms recede, the medics say.

On Wednesday, the German Cabinet claimed that Navalny "without doubt" was poisoned by a substance from the notorious Novichok family.

The Nord Stream 2 project envisages the construction of two pipeline strings with a total capacity of 55 bln cubic meters per year from the coast of Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany. To date, 93.5% of Nord Stream 2 has been finished. The construction was suspended at the end of 2019 when the Swiss pipe-laying company Allseas stopped work due to US sanctions.

The German government repeatedly spoke in favor of the project. However, Berlin pointed out that Ukraine should retain the role of a gas transit country in the future.