Russia Discusses Progress On Nord Stream 2 Project With Czech Republic - Ministry

Russia and the Czech Republic have discussed the ongoing implementation of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project at a session of the joint working group on energy cooperation, Russia's Energy Ministry said on Tuesday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2018) Russia and the Czech Republic have discussed the ongoing implementation of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project at a session of the joint working group on energy cooperation, Russia's Energy Ministry said on Tuesday.

The working group session took place on Monday and Tuesday in Prague. Representatives of Russian corporate giants such as Gazprom, Rostec and Transneft also took part in the meeting.

"Russia has informed its Czech partners about the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project and the long-term plans of the Russian Energy Ministry for developing the state program on renewable energy sources ... The Czech partners talked about the progress achieved in preparing for the expansion of the capacities of the Czech gas transmission system in the context of the Nord Stream 2 project implementation, as well as about plans to increase transit of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline," the ministry's statement read.

In June, the Czech Republic's ambassador-at-large for energy security, Vaclav Bartuska, told Sputnik that Europe had no legal leverage to stop the Nord Stream 2 project from being carried out.

The project envisages the construction of two gas pipelines that will run from Russia, through the Baltic Sea and to a hub in Germany. The project is a joint venture of Russian energy giant Gazprom, France's Engie, Austria's OMV AG, UK-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell, and Germany's Uniper and Wintershall.

The project has been welcomed by some countries in Europe, such as Germany and Austria, and opposed by others, including Ukraine, which may suffer transit revenue drops if Nord Stream 2 becomes operational.