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Latvian Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma supported criticism expressed by Minister of Economy Dana Reizniece-Ozola aimed at the Nord Stream-2 pipeline project, Europeiska Pravda reported citing Delfi, the major online news media in the Baltic States.
Straujuma stressed Europe should have been more consistent regarding its position to promote energy independence from Russia, adding that private businesses are involved in this project on the European side.
Latvian Economy Minister said that the North Stream-2 project illustrates Europe's failure to be united and coherent in crucial moments.
Read alsoGazprom signs Nord Stream-2 agreementAs UNIAN reported earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin personally gave order to start the construction of the Ukhta-Torzhok-2 gas pipeline by Gazprom ensuring gas deliveries into the Nord Stream-2 transportation system, which is to ship gas directly from Russia to the European Union, bypassing Ukraine.
The second section of the Ukhta-Torzhok pipeline will be 970 kilometres long, with a design capacity of 45 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas a year.
Read alsoEurope's leading energy firms rekindle business ties with RussiaEarlier, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller stated that the Ukhta-Torzhok-2 project would be implemented by the end of 2019, as well as other transportation capacities from Bovanenkovo field to the Nord Stream-2.
On September 11, the European Commission stated it would assess the North Stream-2 project in terms of compliance with Europe's energy security after specific plans for its implementation are known.
On September 18, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that the construction of the Nord Stream-2 pipeline, funded by the Russian government, seeks to deprive Ukraine of its transit potential and annual revenue of about $2 billion from the direct transit of Russian gas to Europe.
In early September, Russia's Gazprom, Royal Dutch Shell, Austria's OMV, and Germany's E.ON. signed Shareholders' Agreement on the Nord Stream-2 project.