BERLIN: Politics should play no part in the Nord Stream-2 project to deliver natural gas from Russia to Northern Europe, says German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel.
The project is facing obstacles from the EU, which says existing gas pipelines from Russia are more than enough. The commission also came out in support of Ukraine as a reliable transit country.
“German authorities should have the final say in all legal issues. If we succeed, any external influence will be ruled out,” said Gabriel, adding that political influence on gas projects was the biggest concern.
“In order to limit political interference in these questions, it is necessary to settle the role of Ukraine as a transit country…This has technical reasons, and you know that the gas transportation system in Ukraine is not in a very good condition,” he added.
