Polish prime minister highlights dangers of Nord Stream 2 pipeline
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, speaking in European Parliament in Strasbourg on July 4, cautioned Europe against the joint construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline with Russia.
He believes that, starting with Central Europe, everyone may be adversely affected by the construction of Nord Stream 2, which he considers a purely political project, not an economic one.
“The European Union does not need Nord Stream 2, which will increase the risk of instability in Eastern Europe and give Russia an instrument of great influence, not only over the European economy, but over European politics,” Morawiecki warned.
The Polish prime minister is of the opinion that “the last few years have been a period of the exclusive escalation of geopolitical threats, such as terrorism, the Russian hybrid war on Ukraine and beyond, interference in democratic processes in western countries, and even attacks on EU citizens, e.g. what happened in Salisbury, the attempted poisoning of former GRU officer Sergey Skripal and his daughter with a nerve paralysis agent, or the destabilization of Syria”.
Morawiecki recalled that Georgia was subjected to a similar attack several years ago (in 2008). “And this shows clearly that whatever Russia does is not a coincidence, but part of a long-term strategy devised in advance,” he observed.
From Russia’s perspective, the only thing these countries did wrong was to choose the European economic and political model, Morawiecki believes. “This shows that the security of European Eastern partnership is just as important for the EU as the security of our southern area,” the Polish Prime Minister emphasized.
US President Donald Trump and other administration officials have criticized the Nord Stream 2 project. Ukraine and a number of EU countries have urged for its construction to be blocked, claiming that it will threaten the energy security of Ukraine and the EU.
The construction of the gas pipeline, which will stretch from Russia to Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, will also involve companies from Germany and Austria. The governments of these countries claim that it is a purely economic project. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the gas pipeline can only be activated if Russia does not stop gas transit through Ukraine.