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Transatlantic Coordinator Peter Beyer (CDU)
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FABRIZIO BENSCH / REUTERS
The construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the Baltic Sea is controversial, and the USA in particular is not very enthusiastic.
Just recently, the new US Secretary of State Antony Blinken used his first two-way meeting with Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to sharply criticize the Baltic Sea gas pipeline.
The German government's transatlantic coordinator, Peter Beyer (CDU), is now also questioning the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project and calling for construction to be postponed.
"The project is a serious stumbling block for the restart of transatlantic relations," Beyer told Wirtschaftswoche.
"The Americans expect us not only to change our rhetoric, but also to let actions speak for themselves." Beyer therefore advocates a construction oratorio for Nord Stream 2.
Germany must take into account the mood in the USA, demanded Beyer.
"European sovereignty must not be misunderstood or reinterpreted as a fortress Europe," he said.
“Strong Europe - yes.
Isolation from the USA - no. «The pipeline is supposed to transport gas from Russia to Germany.
"The pipeline divides Europe," said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Brussels last week.
The project is exposing Ukraine and Europe to manipulation by Russia, and it contradicts the goals that Europe has formulated itself with regard to energy security.
The federal government has so far rejected political intervention to stop the project.
In Berlin it is argued, among other things, that a policy that relies on economic isolation for Russia could harbor great dangers.
In addition, a building ruin worth billions should be avoided.
After completion, the operation could still be prohibited or conditions attached.
The US rejects the project on the grounds that it will make Europe even more dependent on Russian natural gas.
A claim that the federal government strictly rejects.
Pipeline proponents accuse the US, on the other hand, of only wanting to sell their liquefied gas better in Europe.
The USA had already imposed sanctions on a company involved in the construction in January.
Nord Stream 2 is almost complete.
ssp / dpa / Reuters