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Annalena Baerbock in Canada: Diplomacy in the service of the tube

2022-08-03T19:47:39.050Z


Annalena Baerbock insists on Western unity on Russia sanctions. In Canada she now has to explain why the export of a Gazprom turbine to Germany should have been a justifiable exception.


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Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly (left) and her German counterpart Annalena Baerbock in Montréal

Photo Credit: IMAGO/Paul Chiasson/ IMAGO/ZUMA Press

Annalena Baerbock traveled to Canada to say thank you.

Over and over again.

"I know it wasn't easy for you," the Foreign Minister said to her counterpart Mélanie Joly in Montreal on Wednesday.

"As a government, you stood up for European solidarity," emphasizes the Green Party politician.

And thanks again.

more on the subject

Exception to Russia sanctions: Canada delivers turbine for Nord Stream 1 to Germany

The many thanks Baerbocks give an idea of ​​what an impertinence Germany has demanded of the Canadians.

Berlin has insisted on the transfer of a gas turbine for the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, serviced in Canada by Siemens Energy, so that Russian gas can flow quickly and fully again through the Baltic Sea to Germany.

Despite sanctions.

In the end, Canada gave in.

Foreign Minister Joly says with a serious expression: "That was a difficult decision." This sentence was also repeated several times.

Tension is in the air.

Baerbock's first visit to Canada is actually a visit to friends.

Her colleague Joly calls her "Mel" in the joint press conference.

The night before, the two had eaten;

in a small circle, as they say.

The relationship between Germany and the North American state has been closer than ever since the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.

Whether it's military aid for Ukraine or the global grain supply: Berlin and Ottawa are coordinating closely.

Everything harmonious.

If it weren't for the gas turbine thing

Trust is now so great that even the CETA trade agreement, which has long been controversial, especially among the Greens, is soon to be fully implemented.

Also to pave the way for cooperation in the energy sector.

The German-Canadian harmony could hardly be greater.

If it wasn't for the gas turbine thing.

Canada got into this conflict by accident.

The Siemens Energy group routinely serviced the turbine, which belongs to the Russian state-owned company Gazprom, at its plant in Montreal.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government has a reputation for implementing the sanctions against Russia particularly rigorously, and for a long time blocked the export of the repaired turbine to Russia.

The turbine, the absence of which the Kremlin has cited since June as the reason for the severely restricted gas supply via the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline.

more on the subject

Chancellor Scholz at Siemens Energy:One turbine to take away, please!By Benedikt Müller-Arnold

About three weeks ago, Canada bowed to German pressure – and at least let the turbine fly to Germany, where Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) took a look at it in Mülheim an der Ruhr on Wednesday.

The transmission to Germany has brought the Canadian government into great domestic political distress.

She is accused of undermining sanctions against Russia.

The topic dominates the headlines in the country.

Selenskyj summoned the ambassador

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj speaks of an "unacceptable exception" and had the Canadian ambassador summoned.

Canada's 1.4 million strong and influential Ukrainian community accuses the government of allowing Russia to blackmail it.

The diaspora organization »World Congress of Ukrainians« is threatening to sue.

And the Canadian opposition has launched a parliamentary inquiry, despite the summer recess.

This Thursday, the German ambassador Sabine Sparwasser has to answer questions from the MPs.

Her boss Baerbock demonstrated the communicative tightrope act the diplomat is facing.

Ironically Baerbock.

The Green Party politician, who warned against gas purchases from Russia more loudly and early than almost anyone else in German politics, now has to do diplomacy in the service of the turbine.

Baerbock, who always promotes unity in the implementation of Russia sanctions and wants to close loopholes at meetings with her counterparts from the EU, G7 and NATO, is now to explain why the export of a Russian gas turbine via Germany to Russia should be justifiable .

Baerbock: »A European question«

Baerbock explains the partial Canadian shift away from the sanctions regime to serve the West.

Securing the gas supply is not just a German question, but a European one, she says.

more on the subject

Canadian Foreign Minister Joly: "We must isolate the Russian regime" An interview by Alexander Sarovic

Canada's step is an "expression of our common unity as the G7, as a transatlantic alliance and above all as a partner with values," says Baerbock.

Canada showed solidarity when Russia tried to use energy as a weapon and split the alliance.

With the transfer of the intact turbine, Canada took away the pretext for Russia to keep the gas flow to Europe tight.

"Together we exposed the Russian President's bluff," says Baerbock.

They are triumphant words.

But neither Baerbock nor Joly make a solemn impression at this moment.

The Canadian press keeps asking questions, and Minister Joly reiterates that it was a difficult decision.

The struggle over the turbine reveals how difficult it can be to reconcile values ​​and interests in a confrontation with Russia.

Similar to Baerbock, Chancellor Scholz previously praised Canada in an interview published Monday in the Canadian daily The Globe and Mail.

The detailed discussion is a further indication that Germany feels indebted to Canada.

Scholz certifies that Prime Minister Trudeau has almost detective skills: "Thanks to Prime Minister Trudeau, we were able to expose Putin's bluff." Now that the intact turbine has been returned, Vladimir Putin can no longer keep the gas tight under the pretext of technical defects, said the Chancellor.

Scholz also wants to thank Trudeau personally.

At the end of August he wants to fly to Canada for a visit lasting several days.

Russia's turbine does not contribute to the flow of gas to Germany.

But world politics always drives them.

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2022-08-03

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