Moscow in the confusion before the completion of construction of the export pipeline remained a month and a half, and he has so far and no clear route.
In Denmark in this year’s elections, the results of which changed the ruling party. However, in foreign policy change, this has not led to Copenhagen, despite pressure from Moscow, on-former does not give permission for the laying of the gas pipeline “Nord stream 2” in the Danish territorial waters.
Russia remains nothing how to admit this fact. However, Russian officials continue to pretend that the situation can still be corrected and do not agree with the inevitability of change in the route of the pipeline that will require not only additional investment but also, very likely, new approvals, even with partners more credible than the Danish authorities.
“It is clear that there are other different options in the absence of such permission — it’s just that this project will be more expensive and some time will be longer implemented” — describes the current situation, Russian energy Minister Alexander Novak. However, he still hopes that the pipe will be laid on the former route, because, according to him, Denmark had no reason not to give permission for the construction of the pipeline.
The same opinion concerning the position of the Danish leadership shared by the head of the Board of Directors of Gazprom Viktor Zubkov. At the same time, in his answers to questions about the timing of the completion of the pipeline, we see that Moscow is rather confused. “We need four to five weeks to finish everything. Still have November—December, two months is eight weeks, so we still fit. So wait,” — said Zubkov on the question of possible waiting times for permits for laying the “Nord stream-2” from Denmark.
The head of the Board of Directors “Gazprom” has specified that the real time needed to complete even less — only about 4-5 weeks from the moment the official Copenhagen agree. For this, note that the Danes will have to agree that the pipeline does not threaten the Baltic sea environment.
Conversations that permission from the Danish may not appear at all like the assumption that it will be a crisis situation for the project, clearly annoyed by Russian officials. “The critical moment — I can’t even say whether it is critical. In any case, the pipeline will be built, and then some critical moment,” says the same Viktor Zubkov, when asked about the maximum possible timing of obtaining the consent of the Danish government.
While unofficially, some Russian officials make it clear that there is a real force majeure, which is expressed in the pressure on Denmark from the United States and individual leaders of the European Union. The important point, rather, is the “shift change” in the European Commission. With the current leadership of the chief Executive body of the EU, though with difficulty, Russia, with the help of Germany, have already agreed. However, from 1 November in their right to join the new composition conditional “European government”.
The Commission, headed by the former head of the German Ministry of defence Ursula von der Leyen may not be as favorable to the nearly completed Russian project. In theory, the Chairwoman of Germany would have favored Russia as actively as the government of Angela Merkel. However, in practice it may not be so predictable.
Including the fact that the new Commissioner for energy policy of the EU will be Kadri Simson from Estonia. That is from a country whose leadership has advocated strongly against the “Nord stream-2”. Estonia like several other Central and Eastern European countries in the EU, said the Russian pipeline “energy weapon”.
Thus, some discouragement of the Russian “energy” management explained. In reality he has only a month to decide on the route and try an accelerated pace as the first Communist five-year plan, to finish the pipeline. If you do not have time, then no one is in reality can’t say how “Nord stream-2” can be stuck in front of a Danish dam. Will it be days, weeks, months, maybe even years.
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