Press Secretary of the Russian President called the bill of sanctions an example of “unfair competition” and a typical example of the use of non-market leverage in this competition, namely by means of political pressure on the European business sector.
Press Secretary of Vladimir Putin Dmitry Peskov, in his speech at the press conference and answering questions about the possibility of new sanctions by the US against companies involved in the construction of the pipeline “Nord stream — 2”, described such moves as a continuation of the destructive policy, by imposing a variety of sanctions that are the result of political decisions. But at the same time, according to the representative of the Kremlin, they are a means of extra-economic coercion of the European business sector (which is part of the Russian company) to the adoption of the latest solutions, the best one only the United States.
Recall that recently the US Secretary of state Mike Pompeo announced that the U.S. state Department consider the project of the European gas pipeline “Nord stream — 2” and the thread called “Turkish stream” under the bill on Sanctions “against the enemies of the United States” (the so-called law CAATSA, literally — the Law on counteraction to opponents of the United States by imposing sanctions) that impose restrictions related to unfriendly to America by countries, individuals and companies.
The official representative of the Kremlin, commenting on the statement of U.S. Secretary of state, called the remarks “nothing but a means of waging unfair competition”, during which the US will force European partners to abandon the Russian gas and buy American liquefied, at a higher price and cost, and, therefore, less profitable for the Europeans.
The official representative of Russian foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova also commented on the words of US Secretary of state, again threatened Russia and Europe’s sanctions for participating in the construction of “Nord stream-2”. She called these steps to attempt to apply “political pressure” on the European partners, associated, however, with the “unhealthy competition”, which has long lead the United States against disagreeable countries.
The representative of the Russian foreign Ministry has called the statement made at the state Department, an obvious sign of weakness and lack of competitiveness of the modern American economic system, which has long been guided not by economic methods of dealing with competitors, and only primitive methods, which are based on the threat of brute force.
A means of political pressure on the partners and an attempt to impose an obviously disadvantageous from an economic point of view, the decision statement called Pompeo about the project “Nord stream — 2” in the Federation Council of Russia. In particular, Senator and Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on international Affairs Konstantin Kosachev called the statements by us senior officials, accusing Europe of “a deal with the Russian companies” are obviously political in nature.
According to him, over 120 European companies, most of which are Germany, France and other countries-U.S. allies in NATO, will now be considered “enemies of the United States”, whose only fault only in the fact that they chose to cooperate with Russian companies. “The US claims that officials overseas are better than the European business community, or the German officials know” that it needs Europe to ensure its energy and economic security,” — said Kosachev.
It should be said that such threats are heard from the United States is not the first time — the ocean long considered Europe area exclusively their privileges, while Russian companies — is “no place” in Europe, in whatever field they may be busy. The project “Northern stream — 2” involves the supply of 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Europe annually, on the route Russia — Baltic sea — Germany, and his goal is to rid Russian companies, particularly Gazprom from dependence on the current route through the territory of Ukraine.
In Russia believe this route is unsafe, especially for our European partners, when the vagaries of the current Ukrainian leadership can hurt not so much Russia that will be able to diversify the routes of transportation of “blue fuel”, as Europe, which may even lose fuel for the needs of its economy and basic social needs.
The first phase of the pipeline, with a length of 1222 km, was commissioned in 2011 she is supplying Russian fuel to Germany amounts to about 20 billion cubic meters annually. The second phase of the project, which has received the name “Nord stream — 2”, and which needed 7 billion 400 million euros, funded by both the Russian giant company, Gazprom, and a number of European companies. This project is therefore beneficial to European consumers, because it will cost the latter is much cheaper — indeed, in this case, it would eliminate the cost of gas transit through the territory of Ukraine and other Eastern European States, which are also characterized by a hostile policy against Russia.
Best implementation of the project and Moscow, as in the case of completion of the project, the latter will get more customers for energy in Western Europe.
However, if this project will be implemented among the losers, in economic terms, will be Ukraine and the United States: precisely because they actively oppose the construction of a gas pipeline bypassing the territory of Eastern Europe.
