While speaking to the Bild am Sonntag newspaper on Sunday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warned Russia against obstructing the investigation into the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, saying that a lack of Russian support could result in a change in Germany’s position on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. The $11 billion natural gas pipeline project, will allow the expeditious transport of Russian gas and will almost double the Russian gas shipments to Germany. Gazprom, a Russian company, is the sole shareholder of the pipeline, which is slated to commence operation from early 2021.
“I hope the Russians won’t force us to change our position regarding the Nord Stream 2,” said Maas, adding, “if there won’t be any contributions from the Russian side regarding the investigation in the coming days, we will have to consult with our partners.” He also spoke of the possibility of imposing sanctions on Russia as a consequence of their refusal to cooperate with the investigating authorities.
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Responding to Maas’ statement, Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, through a post on Facebook, accused German authorities themselves for delaying the investigation. She said, “Dear Mr. Maas, if the government of the Federal Republic of Germany is sincere in its statements, then it should itself be interested in preparing a response to the request of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia as soon as possible … By not sending its answer, Berlin is stalling the process of investigation for which it is calling.” Maas quickly addressed Zakharova’s statement, saying that this was one of the “smoke grenades” that Russia was using as there was “no reason” for Germany to deny such a request by Russia.
Previously, the United States (US) has voiced its strong opposition to the Nord Stream project and even warned of prospective sanctions against German companies that were involved in the pipeline. According to Washington, whose stance has been supported by Ukraine and Poland, the pipeline is a threat to European security interests and will make the market highly dependent on Russian sources. However, advocates of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline believe America’s resistance to the project to be stemming from its ambition to sell its own gas to Europe.
The pipeline was once again brought into the limelight over the past week or so, with several commentators calling out Germany’s hypocrisy on Alexei Navalny’s poisoning. On one hand, Germany, along with France, has been vehemently supporting Navalny by providing him financial and medical aid. Indeed, German leaders, including Chancellor Angela Merkel, have also criticized Russia for their handling of the incident. Yet, on the other hand, Germany continues to work with Russia towards the completion of the Nord Stream 2 project, which has raised eyebrows in German political circles. For instance, leaders from the Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Green party have urged former Chancellor Gerhard Schroder to resign as the Chairman of the board of directors in the Nord Stream 2 project. Responding to these calls, Maas said, “Whoever demands this has to be aware of the consequences … More than 100 companies from 12 European countries are involved (in the construction), about half of them from Germany.”