German Finance Minister, leader of the Free Democratic Party Christian Lindner on Friday, December 17, in an interview with the Funke media group, said that the German government is always interested in cooperation with Russia, and the issue of Nord Stream –2 is only in the legal field.
The head of the German Finance Ministry believes that the West should not use the Nord Stream-2 project as a means of pressure on Russia.
"At the moment, this is not a political issue, but a legal issue. The Federal Grid Agency of Germany checks whether the pipeline launch complies with European legislation. This check has not been completed yet, the result is unclear," the minister said.
On the eve of the "Operator of the GTS of Ukraine" appealed to the German Ministry of Economy with a request to reconsider the conclusion that the certification of the gas pipeline will not pose a danger to the gas supply of Europe.
Earlier in the day, the representative of the German Ministry of Energy, Susanne Ungrad, said that gas supplies to Europe via SP-2 could begin after the certification process is completed. Also on December 17, the JV—2 operator Nord Stream 2 AG started filling the second line of the pipeline with gas.
In turn, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov reported that the timing of the commissioning of the Nord Stream - 2 is unknown, the dialogue with the regulator on the certification of the pipeline continues.
The construction of the gas pipeline was completed on September 10. It was built from Russia to Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea for the purpose of direct gas supplies to Europe. The EU countries mainly support the project and participate in its implementation. The Baltic states, Poland, the USA and Ukraine are against it.
