The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines under the Baltic Sea, which carry Russian gas to Europe, have been at the center of geopolitical tensions following the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The explosions on September 26 last year – which caused extensive damage to three of the four branches of the two pipelines – have further fueled an international debate over who is responsible.
For Russia, it appears to be a major blow to its energy-dependent economy , as the damaged pipelines would block billions of dollars worth of Russian gas from flowing to Europe.
For Europe, it has exacerbated an energy crisis that was already spiraling out of control. Countries, especially Germany, are heavily dependent on energy imports from Russia, and weaning themselves off this cheap source of energy has proven difficult and costly.
It remains unclear who was behind the Nord Stream pipeline explosions. Multiple investigations have determined that the pipelines were sabotaged, and the West immediately blamed the Russians, while Moscow accused the US and countries with alternative energy supply routes in Europe, including Ukraine and Poland, of being the “beneficiaries” of the incident.
Months have passed since the explosions, with no evidence of who was responsible, and the blasts remain an unsolved international mystery.
Gas leaks from a leak on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in Sweden's exclusive economic zone in the Baltic Sea, September 28, 2022. Photo: CFP
In the latest related development, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on March 27 failed to adopt a draft resolution submitted by Russia and China to open an international investigation into the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline.
The voting results included 3 votes in favor from Russia, China and Brazil, 12 abstentions from the remaining members of the UNSC, and 0 votes against. Thus, the draft resolution did not receive the required 9 votes.
According to regulations, a draft resolution needs at least 9 votes in favor and no veto from one of the 5 permanent members of the UNSC (including the US, UK, France, China, and Russia) to be passed.
Map showing the locations of leaks detected on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines. Photo: Al Jazeera
According to TASS, in addition to Russia and China, the draft resolution was also written by Belarus, Venezuela, North Korea, Nicaragua, Syria and Eritrea. However, these countries are not members of the UNSC and did not participate in the vote.
Speaking to reporters after the vote on March 27, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said that Russia would not seek another round of UNSC voting on the draft resolution, arguing that the result was enough to show that “doubts about who is behind the sabotage of Nord Stream have become obvious.”
The pipeline explosions occurred in the exclusive economic zones of Sweden and Denmark . Last month, Sweden, Denmark and Germany said separate investigations by their national authorities were continuing and that Russia had been informed.
Moscow has accused the three countries of engaging in a US-backed cover-up and has repeatedly rejected Russia’s requests for a joint investigation. Denmark and Sweden have cited procedural and national regulatory issues as reasons for not cooperating with Russia.
US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood rejected Moscow’s “baseless accusations” that Washington was behind the “act of sabotage.” “As we have said before, the international community cannot tolerate any deliberate attempt to sabotage critical infrastructure,” Wood said.
Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE ambassador to the UN, whose country abstained from voting on the draft resolution, on March 27 stressed the importance of national investigations conducted by Denmark, Germany and Sweden, calling for “transparency in sharing their findings with relevant parties.”
“This malicious sabotage not only concerns the security of European infrastructure but also global, transnational infrastructure,” China’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Geng Shuang, said during a UNSC meeting on March 27.
“An objective, impartial and professional investigation into the incident is in the interests of all countries… so that the findings of the investigation can be made public as soon as possible and the perpetrators held accountable,” the Chinese diplomat said.
A terminal receiving gas from Nord Stream 1 in Lubmin, Germany. Photo: Getty Images
Construction site of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in Russia in 2019. Photo: NY Times
The pipelines are owned and operated by Nord Stream AG, a company whose majority shareholder is Russian state energy giant Gazprom.
Both Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 run from northwestern Russia across the Baltic Sea floor to Lubmin, Germany. Nord Stream 1 went online in 2011, while Nord Stream 2 was completed in 2021 but never went online .
Minh Duc (According to TASS, The National News)
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