Austrian Chancellor Speaks Against Tying Future of Nord Stream Gas Link to Navalny Case

Austrian Chancellor Speaks Against Tying Future of Nord Stream Gas Link to Navalny Case

MOSCOW – Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has rejected calls to abandon the Nord Stream 2 pipeline construction after a Russian court jailed opposition activist Alexey Navalny for 3.5 years.

“I welcome the German federal government’s decision to stand by Nord Stream 2”, Kurz said in an interview with the Welt am Sonntag newspaper, published Saturday.

He argued that Nord Stream was a European project that would benefit many EU countries. “I disagree that the necessary response to the proceedings against opposition figure Navalny should be tied to the Nord Stream 2 construction. Those who think that only Russia is interested in the new pipeline are wrong”, Kurz said.