Estonian Foreign Minister calls for a stop to Nord Stream-2 pipeline
Estonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sven Mikser has urged the termination of the German-Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream 2. He expressed his view on Monday, July 2 to the Die Welt newspaper, stating that the pipeline is not an economic but a political project.
"It is only a lever by which Russia will interfere with European policy," Mikser said, adding that it is in the interests of the EU to stop the project. Earlier, the US also supported the idea of phasing out the construction of Nord Stream 2, threatening the project participants with sanctions. The European Commission is concerned that the new pipeline may increase its dependence on Russian gas.
The pipeline, which will pass along the Baltic Sea bed in parallel to the already-existing Nord Stream, will connect Russia and Germany, bypassing other European countries.
The opponents of Nord Stream 2 assert that by launching new pipeline, Russia will stop the gas transit through the Ukrainian gas system, costing Ukraine billions in transit revenues. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that gas supplies through Ukraine will continue beyond the date of the Nord Stream 2 commissioning if it is "economically justified and appropriate for all parties involved.”