Germany voiced its support yesterday for the construction of the Nord Stream gas pipeline. The statement followed Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's comments expressing doubts about whether Europe needed the pipeline, RIA Novosti reported, citing Reuters.
"The German Government views the Nord Stream pipeline as the main project for Germany and Europe's future gas supplies," the German Economy Ministry's statement reads, quoted by the news agency. "All existing concerns about the pipeline should be resolved through constructive negotiations among the interested parties."
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that Europe must decide whether or not it needs the North-European gas pipeline (Nord Stream). If not, Russia will switch to liquefaction and export the liquefied gas to world markets.
Mr Putin made his comments after meeting with Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen. During the meeting, the parties discussed the ecological aspects of the Nord Stream project.
The pipeline will be laid along the seabed of the Baltic from Russia (Vyborg) to Germany (Greifswald). It will be 1,200 kilometres long. The first line of the pipeline, with a transmission capacity of 27.5 billion cubic metres a year, is due for completion in 2010. A number of countries, including Estonia, Poland, Sweden, and Finland are against the construction of the pipeline because they consider it ecologically hazardous.
Experts, however, believe that Poland, for example, is mainly concerned with losing profits with the transit of Russian gas.