BERLIN, April 20. /TASS/. Germany has made a decision in favor of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline regardless of other EU countries’ view, but the political struggle which is going on around the project, is much broader than just the matter of gas supplies, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday.
She was addressing the spring session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) via video link.
Merkel stressed that Germany had always advocated for Ukraine to remain a transit country in the export of gas from Russia to the European Union. She stressed she knew the conflicting opinions regarding the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and the position of many member states. Nevertheless, the EU has developed a joint position, which is reflected in the renewal of the EU Gas Directive, she said.
"We can see that the conflict here is much broader and focuses on the question of how much we want to support trade with Russia, primarily in the energy sector. Germany has decided in favor of building Nord Stream 2," Merkel said.
"But this is a political struggle, which many view differently," the Chancellor stressed. She noted that "the gas is not yet flowing through Nord Stream 2, will be no better or worse than gas supplied via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline or gas, which is delivered from Russia via Turkey.
The Nord Stream 2 project envisions 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. The construction was suspended in December 2019 when the Swiss pipe-laying company Allseas stopped the works due to US sanctions. However, the construction resumed in December 2020.
Nord Stream 2 AG, the project’s operator reported earlier this month that the pipeline is currently finished by 95%, about 121 km of the total length of the pipeline is yet to be laid.