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Nord Stream 2 certification can be extended — Russian Foreign Ministry

Russian Deputy Minister Alexander Pankin stressed that the Nord Stream 2 is a purely economic project and nobody will benefit from obstructing it

© Nikolai Ryutin/Nord Stream 2

VERONA, October 28. /TASS/. The Nord Stream 2 certification process requires ‘certain time’ and the timeline can be extended, Russian Deputy Minister Alexander Pankin told TASS on Thursday on the sidelines of the Eurasian Economic Forum.

"Procedural twists and turns and rules are fairly complex; certain time is needed and this time can be extended. This is not related to the environment. The procedure, as I understand, covers the aggregate of technical, organizational and technological processes," Pankin said.

The Nord Stream 2 is a purely economic project and nobody will benefit from obstructing it, the official said. "Is this the struggle against Russian gas or against the route? If this is the struggle against Russian gas, then gas should not enter the market at all under this logic. If this is fighting against the route, then why can't a cheaper path be used?" Pankin added.

Construction of the Nord Stream 2 ended on September 10 of this year. Its first string has already been filled with gas and the second line will be filled in mid-December or late December.

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