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The EP calls for the Nord Stream 2 construction and new sanctions on Russia to be halted
Author:Mariusz Dasiewicz
On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on the EU to stop building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and impose new sanctions on Russia. The document was prepared in response to the arrest of Russian oppositionist Alexey Navalny. Resolution is non-binding.
The resolution was adopted by 581 votes to 50 against and 44 abstentions.
The EP calls for "a critical review of cooperation with Russia under various foreign policy platforms and projects such as Nord Stream 2 which the EU must immediately stop". The MEPs also stressed that the EU should not be a friendly place for Russian capital of unclear origin.
"We call for the immediate and unconditional release of Alexey Navalny and all other people detained in connection with his return to Russia, regardless of whether they are journalists, team colleagues or citizens showing support," the project states.
According to Reuters, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who despite criticism from other EU countries continues to support the construction of the pipeline, said on Thursday that her view of the project had not changed despite the Navalny case.
Nawalny, one of the leaders of the anti-Kremlin opposition, was detained on Sunday at Moscow Sheremietievo Airport just after the arrival from Berlin. The court order was placed in custody for 30 days, until February 15. Russian prison services are demanding the ruthless execution of a suspended sentence given to him five years ago. The court will decide on February 2.
Nawalny was hospitalized in Omsk, Siberia on August 20. He felt unwell on the plane from Tomsk to Moscow and passed out. At the request of his family, he was transported to Berlin. On October 6, 2020, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed that Navalny had been attempted to poison with a militant means of shocking the nervous system Nowowiczok.
The same substance was used in 2018 in Salisbury, South England in an attempt to assassinate two Russian military intelligence agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter.
The constructions of the Russian-German gas pipeline strongly oppose Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic States, as well as the USA. Critics Nord Stream 2 indicate that this project would increase Europe's dependence on Russian gas and extend the Kremlin's influence on European policy. The project is supported by Germany, Austria and several other EU countries.
In the future 55 billion metres of six. Natural gas is to be pumped annually from Russia to Germany with two Nord Stream 2 threads, each about 1,200 kilometres long. The pipeline, which costs about €9.5 billion, is ready in 94%.
Source: PAP
