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Kremlin spokesman urges not to get ahead of things on Nord Stream 2 certification

Dmitry Peskov urged not to get ahead of things

© Igor Kuznetsov/Nord Stream 2

MOSCOW, December 13. /TASS/. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has referred to the process of Nord Stream 2 certification as "technical, bureaucratic work," and urged not to get ahead of things.

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German top diplomat says Nord Stream 2 certification halted for non-compliance with EU

"The work with the regulator is underway. The company meets all requirements of the regulator. It is necessary simply to be patient here. It is technical, bureaucratic work, and judicial," Peskov said when asked to comment on the statement by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock that the German regulator had suspended the certification of the Nord Stream 2 operator due to its non-compliance with the EU’s energy regulation.

Peskov urged not to get ahead of things. "The work is underway there, let’s not get ahead of things," he said.

Baerbock said in an interview with the ZDF TV channel aired on Sunday, that the project "fails to comply with the regulation" of the EU so far, and it "cannot be approved." To start pumping gas, Nord Stream 2’s operator has to obtain the green light from the German regulator. The certification has been suspended since the Swiss-headquartered operator Nord Stream 2 AG must register a subsidiary in Germany. Until that is accomplished, the certification process has been frozen.

The agreement greenlighted by the coalition in Germany does not mention Nord Stream 2, it only stresses the supremacy of Europe-wide norms regarding issues related to energy projects. Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s statements on the gas pipeline’s future have been very restrained so far. He said that no country can violate the borders of another state, otherwise there will be consequences. Being co-chair of the Greens, Baerbock has demanded in recent years that the project be stopped. Currently, she heads the German Foreign Ministry in Scholz’s government. The main foreign political course is usually set by the Chancellor’s office, not the Foreign Ministry.

Moscow has repeatedly emphasized that Nord Stream 2 is a commercial project, which is being implemented together with its European partners. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has expressed bewilderment that a number of countries seek to make the fate of the gas pipeline dependent on politically-motivated conditions. Russia has also repeatedly stated that it has never politically weaponized energy resources.

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