Media: general investigation on Nord Stream will become an “olive branch”

BEIJING, Sep 29 – PRIME. The Nord Stream incident shows that the impact of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is not limited to the military, but also affects energy, the economy and food, if Russia and European states can cooperate in investigating the emergency, this will become an “olive branch” – it will help weaken confrontation and avoid exacerbating controversy, said an editorial in China’s state-run newspaper Global Times on Thursday.

The authors of the material noted that on the same day, three leaks were discovered on the pipelines intended for the supply of Russian gas to Europe, which were accompanied by “powerful underwater explosions”, and many consider this to be “deliberate actions.”

“One of the obvious results is that Europe’s hopes of receiving Russian gas through Nord Stream have completely vanished into thin air this winter. This incident makes the already complicated and confusing knot between Russia and the West all the more difficult,” the journalists said.

The publication emphasizes that it is not yet known who is behind this, but “in any case, the attack on a large transnational civilian infrastructure is very heinous, and this also created a dangerous precedent after the start of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, such a trend cannot be condoned.”

It is noted that at the moment the truth is still unknown, but “one thing is certain: whichever side pressed the button to damage Nord Stream, it dealt a heavy blow to Russian-European energy cooperation.”

The newspaper also points out that the difficult fate of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in itself explains many points. “A large and mutually beneficial cooperation program between Russia and the EU has met with strong opposition from the United States from day one. From repeated verbal threats to numerous rounds of sanctions, the United States has shown its firm position – they will not stop until they ruin Nord Stream 2,” they said. the authors of the article.

It is noted that after the start of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Nord Stream 2, a cooperation project that is actually extremely useful for Europeans, was on the verge of bankruptcy under the pressure of hegemonism, geopolitical calculations and security dilemmas, and this deliberate sabotage destroyed the possibility of its revival.

“It is easy to feel that there are invisible scissors that cut the bonds of interests between Russia and Europe. Those who control these scissors are playing a political game. the number of ordinary people,” the authors of the article believe.

According to the publication, “the incident with the Nord Streams shows once again that the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is not limited to the field of military operations, but extends to energy, the economy, and food.”

The article emphasizes that the fact that no one knows what other provocations are being prepared at the moment remains extremely worrying, and “this uncertainty will be the sword of Damocles hanging over Europe and even over the whole world.”

For now, the newspaper added, all parties should do their best to form a safety net and reach a settlement as soon as possible.

“If Russia and European countries can cooperate in investigating the incident, even if such cooperation is extremely limited, it will be an olive branch in a thunderstorm that will help ease confrontation and avoid exacerbating contradictions,” the authors added.

On Monday, incidents occurred simultaneously on two Russian export gas pipelines to Europe. According to information from the authorities of Denmark and Sweden, two gas leaks were discovered at Nord Stream and one at Nord Stream 2 near the island of Bornholm. Germany, Denmark and Sweden do not rule out targeted sabotage.

The Russian side officially requested information from Denmark about the emergency at Nord Stream as soon as the incident became known. The Danish authorities notified the Russian Federation about the explosions at the site of the gas leak. The operator of Nord Stream, Nord Stream AG, reported that the state of emergency on gas pipelines was unprecedented, and it was impossible to estimate the timing of repairs.

The work of Nord Stream has been suspended since the end of August due to problems with the repair of Siemens turbines caused by Western sanctions. However, the pipeline remained filled with gas. Nord Stream 2, completed in 2021 but never put into operation, has also already been filled with gas.