Nord Stream 2: german secretary of commerce against termination of pipeline project after Navalny poisoning

 German federal secretary of commerce Peter Altmaier rejects the abortion of the contentious pipeline project after the poisoning of russian opposion politician Alexei Navalny, even though the german government came to the conclusion that Navalny was poisoned with the nerve agent "Novitchok", writes Bild:

"It's been five weeks since the Kremlin critic Alexej Navalny (44) was poisoned with a nerve agent from the Novichok group in Tomsk, Siberia. The incident has created great tension between Germany and Russia.

But Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier (62, DU) is now rejecting the calls for a construction stop on the Russian pipeline "Nord Stream 2". It is problematic "to question projects that are designed for several decades every few months," he told the "Handelsblatt".

Altmaier accused critics of the project of inconsistency: They avoided saying "what a stop for Nord Stream 2 will mean for gas procurement from Russia as a whole". You would have to ask yourself “where will the gas come from in the future”. It can be assumed "that the gas quantities that Europe has to import will increase".

Altmaier rejected the accusation of being too dependent on Russian gas supplies. He always took the view that "we shouldn't be blackmailed," he said.

That should not mean, however, "that the attempted murder of Navalny can be put into perspective in any way." The gas is not only intended for Germany, but for many countries in the EU, so you have to consult with your partners about possible consequences.

After investigations in a special laboratory, the federal government regards it as unequivocally proven that the opposition member Navalny in Russia was poisoned with the warfare agent Novichok.

The economy minister warned against imposing sanctions. They often work not only against the countries against which they are pronounced, but also affect the business relationships of German and European companies.

"A country with our foreign trade ties must ask itself what effects sanctions can have and to what extent they primarily weaken themselves," said the Minister for Economic Affairs."