Germany will discuss with the new Washington administration the lifting of sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. This is stated in the response of the German government to the request of the Soyuz-90 / Green faction in the Bundestag, reports TASS.
It is clarified that earlier the German government at various levels negotiated with the US administration under President Donald Trump.
“Both the EU and the member states and the German government on a bilateral basis will continue to seek ways of dialogue on this issue with the new US administration. As soon as all competent responsible persons from the American side are approved by the US Senate and thus formally begin fulfillment of their duties, this topic will be part of the first negotiations, “reads the text of the response.
The document also says that the FRG authorities consider the sanctions against Nord Stream 2 an interference in the sovereignty of the European Union. The government “rejects” the sanctions and does not rule out that Washington’s unilateral measures may also affect the special environmental fund created by the regional authorities of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, thanks to which, among other things, it is supposed to protect the interests of the participants of the Nord Stream-2 project.
Earlier in February, German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said that if the construction of Nord Stream 2 stops, Germany may face claims for damages in international arbitration courts.
On February 10, the representative of the German Cabinet of Ministers Ulrike Demmer said that the German government is in closed negotiations with the United States on the issue of sanctions against the gas pipeline. She also stressed that the discussion is being conducted in a closed format, so Germany does not disclose its content.
The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea was supposed to be commissioned at the end of 2019. However, its completion was hampered, in particular, by the threat of sanctions from the United States, due to which European companies began to leave the project.