Denmark refuses Russia access to Nord Stream sabotage probe
Denmark says it will not give Russia permission to participate in investigations into the explosions at the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines.
The Danish position was confirmed by Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen at a press briefing on Thursday.
“Denmark, Sweden and Germany all have rule of law and one can have confidence in our investigations,” Rasmussen said.
The three countries have, according to Rasmussen, each initiated investigations into the explosions at the Nord Stream pipelines on September 26th last year.
Russian president Vladimir Putin earlier this week said he wanted Denmark to allow Russia to take part in investigations.
Denmark has the right to control who participates in the investigations into the explosion that took place within the Danish economic zone. Two of the four leakages were in the Danish zone, and two in the Swedish.
Danish authorities were on Tuesday advised by Russian company Gazprom that an object had been detected close to the site of the Nord Stream 2 explosions.
“The owners of the Nord Stream pipeline are able to inspect the pipelines. It is in this context that an object was observed,” Rasmussun said.
“We have told the Russians that we will investigate this thoroughly. And when we have done that, we will announce the results of that investigation,” he said.
Four leaks emerged on the two Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea off the coast of the Danish island of Bornholm at the end of September, with seismic institutes reporting that they had recorded two underwater explosions prior to the leaks appearing.
While the leaks were in international waters, two of them were in the Danish exclusive economic zone and two in the Swedish one.
Investigations later showed the pipelines were ruptured by underwater explosives, but it remains uncertain who was behind the explosions.
The incident took place seven months after Russian forces invaded Ukraine.
Last week, Germany’s Die Zeit newspaper reported that German investigators suspect that the yacht Andromeda, which was owned by a Ukrainian, was used to plant the explosives on the pipeline.
READ ALSO: Six months on, what do we know about the Nord Stream blasts?
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The Danish position was confirmed by Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen at a press briefing on Thursday.
“Denmark, Sweden and Germany all have rule of law and one can have confidence in our investigations,” Rasmussen said.
The three countries have, according to Rasmussen, each initiated investigations into the explosions at the Nord Stream pipelines on September 26th last year.
Russian president Vladimir Putin earlier this week said he wanted Denmark to allow Russia to take part in investigations.
Denmark has the right to control who participates in the investigations into the explosion that took place within the Danish economic zone. Two of the four leakages were in the Danish zone, and two in the Swedish.
Danish authorities were on Tuesday advised by Russian company Gazprom that an object had been detected close to the site of the Nord Stream 2 explosions.
“The owners of the Nord Stream pipeline are able to inspect the pipelines. It is in this context that an object was observed,” Rasmussun said.
“We have told the Russians that we will investigate this thoroughly. And when we have done that, we will announce the results of that investigation,” he said.
Four leaks emerged on the two Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea off the coast of the Danish island of Bornholm at the end of September, with seismic institutes reporting that they had recorded two underwater explosions prior to the leaks appearing.
While the leaks were in international waters, two of them were in the Danish exclusive economic zone and two in the Swedish one.
Investigations later showed the pipelines were ruptured by underwater explosives, but it remains uncertain who was behind the explosions.
The incident took place seven months after Russian forces invaded Ukraine.
Last week, Germany’s Die Zeit newspaper reported that German investigators suspect that the yacht Andromeda, which was owned by a Ukrainian, was used to plant the explosives on the pipeline.
READ ALSO: Six months on, what do we know about the Nord Stream blasts?
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