Germany Rejects French Call to Scrap Russia Gas Pipeline Over Navalny

How about you shoot yourself in the foot to show how angry you and I are?

France on Monday urged Germany to scrap a major gas pipeline project with Russia in protest over the detention in Moscow of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, but the plea fell on deaf ears in Berlin.

“We have always said we have the greatest doubts on this project in this context,” European Affairs minister Clement Beaune told France Inter radio.

Asked specifically if France wanted Berlin to drop the project, Beaune said: “Indeed, we have already said this.”

Nord Stream 2 is a 10 billion euro ($11 billion) pipeline that will run beneath the Baltic Sea and is set to double Russian natural-gas shipments to Germany, Europe’s largest economy.

The United States and several European countries such as Poland have criticized the project, saying it will increase German and EU dependence on Russia for critical gas supplies.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stood by the project, and work resumed on it in December after an almost year-long pause due to American sanctions.

Asked about the French objections, Merkel’s spokeswoman on Monday said “the government has not changed its basic position” in support of Nord Stream 2.

France’s Beaune said European leaders were weighing new sanctions against Russia over President Vladimir Putin’s crackdown on the opposition led by Navalny, who was arrested in mid-January and faces a trial that could see him detained for years.

Thousands defied government warnings to protest across the country on Sunday in a second weekend of mass demonstrations against the arrest of Putin’s most prominent opponent.

“Sanctions have already been imposed, we could do that but we have to be clear, they will not be enough,” Beaune said.

“The Nord Stream option is one under consideration,” he added, while acknowledging that “it’s a decision for Germany, because the pipeline is in Germany.”

Merkel’s spokeswoman condemned the violent crackdown in Russia and called for “the immediate release” of detained protesters as well as Navalny himself.

Source: AFP

4 Comments
  1. ken says

    The idiot flew back on his own accord. Russians have served a 70 year life sentence under their version of communism, got the T-shirt and sure as hell don’t want the West’s version.

  2. XSFRGR says

    The World Heath Organization should immediately apprehend Navalny, and begin intensive scientific studies on his physiology. Since there is no such thing as a non-lethal dose of novichok, one molecule is fatal, it is imperative that the world determines how he has survived multiple novichok poisoning episodes.

  3. yuri says

    France becoming more politically, culturally , economically irrelevant each year—dependent upon antiquated nuclear and Russian gas for energy

  4. Mr Reynard says

    It’s not the call of the French people, it’s the call of Ma Crotte, gofer for the Dung Beetle Bloodline ? NOT THE FRENCH PEOPLE !

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