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Former Chancellor Angela Merkel has defended her decision to rely heavily on Russian gas for Germany's energy supply.
Angela Merkel, former chancellor: “As far as my position at the time on phasing out nuclear energy is concerned, I haven’t changed my mind. From the point of view of the time, it was very reasonable and reasonable to get pipelined gas from Russia, which was cheaper than LNG from other parts of the world, such as the US, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.««
Merkel spoke Thursday on the sidelines of an event to announce the winner of the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, of which she chaired the jury.
During her tenure, the Nord Stream 1 pipeline was put into operation, transporting gas directly from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea.
Her government also backed the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which never went into operation, even after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014.
According to Merkel, Russia was also a reliable energy supplier during the Cold War.
Angela Merkel, former chancellor: "And in that respect I don't regret the decisions at all, I believe that from the perspective at the time it was the right thing to do. On the other hand, it was also right to speed up the fight against climate change at the end of my term of office. And yet this brutal Russian invasion has now turned the tide. This is a turning point.«
Last year, 55 percent of German gas imports came from Russia.
The country stopped gas flow through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline at the end of August.
Germany is making efforts to reduce its dependence on Russian gas.