REUTERS
The projects are likely to increase Russia's energy leverage over other countries.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation of Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly's Committee on Political Affairs and Security has adopted a resolution on energy security in Europe, which mentions and criticizes the Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream gas pipelines.
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The document identifies the said Russian projects as potential means of economic and political coercion of states dependent on energy supplies, the RBC Ukraine media outlet reported on July 7, referring to the OSCE broadcast on YouTube on July 7.
The amendment to include a clause regarding TurkStream and Nord Stream 2 in the resolution "Energy Security in the OSCE Area" by parliamentarian Ruta Miliute was proposed by the U.S. delegation.
U.S. congressman Lee Zeldin said it refers to the growth of reliance on a single source of energy. Partners in Central and Eastern Europe could be negatively impacted. Zeldin says TurkStream will increase Russia's energy leverage over other countries and "can be tapped to exert malign influence."
"We must make sure our democratic institutions cannot be held hostage over energy supply as Nord Stream 2 and Turk Stream would promote," Zeldin said.
UNIAN memo. The Nord Stream 2 project envisages the construction and operation of two gas pipeline branches with a total throughput capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year from the coast of Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany. It should connect Russia's Ust-Luga and Germany's Greifswald.
This new pipeline bypassing Ukraine is to be built next to the existing Nord Stream 1 pipeline. The construction of the pipeline should be completed before the end of 2019. The length of the pipeline will be 1,220 km.
In late March – early April 2018, Nord Stream 2 (operator of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project) received permission from Germany and Finland to build the gas pipeline, and Sweden gave its green light to the project in June. However, Denmark, through whose territory the gas pipeline should also run, did not give its permission.
Ukraine stands against the construction of Nord Stream 2 as it will most likely lose its status of a gas transit country and its possible revenue losses are estimated at billions of U.S. dollars. The project is also highly criticized by Poland and the Baltic countries.