MOSCOW, October 7. /TASS/. The European Union’s current policy on Nord Stream 2 is not effective and Russia will not forfeit its leadership position as a global supplier in the energy market in the near future, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai International Discussion Club Andrei Bystritsky told TASS.
Bystritsky took a swipe at the demand by the German Federal Network Agency earlier for the Nord Stream 2 AG operator to provide certificates attesting to its compliance with the requirements of European law, as "a classic bureaucratic defense" and bid to show to the whole world that the European Union is fair.
"The actions of the European authorities are not effective. The problem is that in Europe, there are unfortunately many politicians and officials who are extremely narrow-minded and short-sighted, and often to their own detriment," he said, adding "They do not want to launch Nord Stream 2, however, they aren’t achieving their goals, because the project makes sense and many people need it."
In this regard, the expert stressed that the broad circumstances surrounding the Russian gas pipeline should be kept in mind. He spotlighted several parallel processes, in particular the energy crisis in Europe, which recently "eased up" with gas prices going down, after having skyrocketed to new highs. According to Bystritsky, these events clearly showed that "the desire to tarnish relations with Russia and punish it" in European politics is counterproductive. "Clearly, it was a mistake. Regarding gas and its record high prices, Russia once again bailed out the Europeans by simply declaring that, if necessary, it would increase supplies via the notorious Nord Stream 2," he said.
Furthermore, the political guru noted that many people in Europe have lost sight of the fact that the "green economy" and "green energy" issues will not be solved tomorrow. The expert is convinced that the need for traditional energy resources will not evaporate anytime soon. "We see it increasing all over the world rather than declining. That is why I believe that Russia's place in the energy market will be solid and that Russia will not lose anything in the near future, but rather even gain from the point of view of the supply of energy resources," the Valdai guru concluded.