Liz Truss discusses European energy with Macron, Kishida, Leyen, and Biden just before Nordstream is blown up

About Truss-Biden meeting here

20 Sept 2022 - Liz Truss didn't discuss migrant crossings or Northern Ireland protocol in Macron talks, No 10 says

The pair agreed to enhance cooperation on energy security - but two more contentious issues were not the subject of conversation between the leaders...

[MRT: First meeting and most important is energy security of Europe? Odd.] 

Number 10 said the prime minister had a "constructive" conversation lasting around half an hour with the French leader, but it focused on energy security rather than the two major points of contention. 

[MRT: Why is energy policy the fundamental issue? Th UK has been kicked out from the EU joint internal energy market, just after Brexit]

The pair held their first bilateral meeting at the fringes of the United Nations summit in New York after Ms Truss caused controversy by refusing to say if the French leader was a "friend or foe" - instead saying "the jury's out".

[MRT: Could this mean she is setting up the stage for blowing up Nordstream, then hoping that France will play along and be a friend rather than foe?] 

"There is a will to re-engage, to move on and to show that we are allies and friends in a complex world."

[MRT: Why is there a need to stress that world is complex at this point?] 

Shortly before posting the tweet, Ms Truss admitted her tax cuts would disproportionately benefit the rich - but said she is willing to be an unpopular prime minister to bring in measures she believes will grow the economy.

While President Biden's criticism was surely for a domestic audience, it underlined the differences between the two leaders' stances just as Ms Truss says she wants to foster closer ties with international allies.

 
21 Sept 2022 - Truss and Leyen met, one of the topics was EU energy.

21 Sept 2022 - Joint Statement by President von der Leyen and Prime Minister Liz Truss

...President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Liz Truss, met at the UN General Assembly in New York today.

...They strongly condemned Russia's actions in Ukraine and agreed that Putin's recent calls to mobilise parts of the population were a sign that Russia's invasion is failing. It is a statement of weakness...

They also discussed UK EU relations including energy, food security and the Northern Ireland Protocol... 

21 Sept 2022 - Japan and Britain vow to sign defense cooperation pact at early date

At the Tuesday summit, Kishida and Truss also vowed to deepen cooperation on ensuring economic security and energy supplies, the ministry said.

 
21 Sept 2022 - UK: PM meeting with President Joe Biden

The Prime Minister met US President Joe Biden at the UN General Assembly in New York today.

The leaders stressed the need to end over-reliance on authoritarian states in terms of our energy, technology and manufacturing supply chains.

They agreed to redouble bilateral efforts to reduce energy dependence on Russia and to increase the amount of renewable and other forms of energy flowing from democratic states.

21 Sept 2022 - UK Prime Minister Truss addresses the United Nations General Assembly (transcript here)

01:00 min: "...Geopolitics is entering a new era.."

06:00 min: "We are cutting off the toxic power and pipelines from authoritarian regimes and strengthening our energy resilience."

08:30 min: "The UK is providing funding, using the might of the City of London and our security capabilities to provide better alternatives to those offered by malign regimes.

The resolute international response to Ukraine has shown how we can deliver decisive collective action. ..

If the economy of a partner is being targeted by an aggressive regime we should act to support them. All for one and one for all.

12:00 min "In all these areas, on all of the fronts, the time to act is now. This is a decisive moment in our history, in the history of this organization and in the history of freedom...

Related:

BRITAIN´S ANTI-NORDSTREAM HARSH RETHORICS

TRUSS - But this cannot be a one-off

Liz Truss as a UK PM & Nordstream affair

Liz Truss is ready to try and beat global aggressors at their own game

Were commentators planting seeds of destruction in the Nordstream affair?

About Liz Truss and ending the EU´s strategic dependency on Russian hydrocarbons

BRITAIN´S NOT JUST HARSH RETHORICS

UK has changed its security structures on 23-09-2022

What the heck happened on Friday 23-09-2022 that Liz Truss scuttled out of the chamber and went into hiding?

UK officials love to play Hide and Seek

The British pound reacts to the instability during the Nordstream crisis

BRITAIN & MOTIVES
Historical ROOTS of Nordstream affair

London's attempts to implement ‘Global Britain’ concept failed

UK warns about the energy storm coming before Nordstream is taken down

Mission accomplished - UK - from Energy Importer to Energy Exporter

THE USA-GER  NORDSTREAM POLITICS
How the Nordstream 2 did not got its certification
Was the Nordstream 2 used as an energy weapon?
About the GER-USA Nordstream 2 AG deal
Data show Biden has not ordered Nordstream destruction

THE USA-UK NORDSTREAM POLITICS
About the UK-USA "special relationship"

BRITAIN UNDER BORIS JOHNSON & NORDSTREAM

Rishi Sunak´s 2017 report about vulnerability of subsea internet cables

UK - Nord Stream 2 Pipeline - Volume 690: debated on Wednesday 10 March 2021
UK government does not like Nordstream

Boris Johnson: Europe needs to snip the drip feed into our bloodstream from Nord Stream

Attempts To 'Renormalize' Relations With Russia were curbed

The United Kingdom's secret war against Russia?

Nordic Times - The Who-did-it Cat is out of the Nordstream Bag

After short exchange with Nordic Times they agreed to look into my data and research, and write an article. Here it is:

13 February 2024 - Independent investigator: Elements of UK government behind Nord Stream attacks

A systematic analysis of the available evidence points to "elements of the British government" as the most likely perpetrators of the pipeline bombings.

This according to an independent Finnish data analyst and researcher who has conducted what he calls "the only public, open Nordstream investigation".

The enigmatic 'data detective' believes the attacks were most likely carried out by the Royal Navy's DTXG elite diving team, operating from the British nuclear submarine HMS Ambush (S120).

A statement made by then British PM Liz Truss at the UN five days before the attacks about "cutting off toxic energy and pipelines from authoritarian regimes" raises further questions.

UPDATES/COMMENTS:

Several news took notice, among them Russian Pravda - see here, under the name:

"Elena Panina, Director of the Institute for International Strategic Studies"

"Journalists of the Scandinavian portal The Nordic Times, together with an analyst with the pseudonym "Mortimer", came to the conclusion that the direct perpetrators of the sabotage on the Nord Streams in September 2022 were the British Navy..."

[MRT: Elena Panina knows the case little and commented:]

Vladimir Putin recently told Tucker Carlson about who exactly is behind the gas pipeline explosion. It's the United States. The Nordic Times investigation thus only confirms that the British were the direct perpetrators of the pipeline sabotage, while the action itself was announced and authorized by Joe Biden.

"So there will be no more Nord Stream 2. We will put an end to it," was the verbatim phrase of the US president, from which his press service then tried to save him.

As for Liz Truss's cabinet, it has already gone down in history as the government whose sole task was to organize the biggest infrastructure sabotage - and, if anything, to take responsibility for it.

  [MRT: Elena Panina should listen again and read carefully what actually was said on the interview between Putin and Carlson - Putin clearly stated and was very consistent that it was "he who benefits" and that the CIA played a role. This is well along my hypothesis that the Norweigean PM, Defence minister flew to the USA on 19-09-2022 and delivered the shocking intel that original Johnson´s mission to attack Nordstream was resurected and is being executed by Liz Truss. Two days after this the USN Kaersarge group leaves the Baltic sea and positions itself in Atlantic ocen to ptotect Trans-Atlantic alliance. Yes, the USA is (partly) complicit for not stopping the mission once they learned about it. Note that what EXACTLY happened, if the USA tried to stop the mission, how much was the USA in contact with the UK is not part of my investigation and requires data which are not part of the scale of this investigation (only data in public domain). The interview details here]

Despite explosions: The NordStream companies in Zug live on

“We will continue to communicate externally as soon as we believe this is feasible.”

27 Feb 2024 - Despite explosions: The Nord Stream companies in Zug live on

"The companies Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 are economically dead. Their gas pipelines lie largely in ruins at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. No gas is flowing, the raw material rubles have not been rolling in for almost 1.5 years.

Actually, the companies should have deposited their balance sheets long ago. And yet there is activity at both headquarters in Zug and Steinhausen/ZG. How can that be?...

...At least some information can be found out about Nord Stream 2. The company was founded in Zug in 2015 under the name “New European Pipeline”. That was 10 years after the first Nord Stream company started operations, then as the “NEGP Company”...

...Nevertheless: it continues to exist. On January 10, 2024, the debt moratorium was extended for the third time. The company even moved its headquarters after the sabotage, from offices in Zug to its own building in neighboring Steinhausen...

[MRT: The early Setember´s SUI court decision to allow for the Out-of-bankruptcy may have been the trigger to blow a decisive strike to the company, it has not folded yet. Note that just fees from transport of Russian gas via Ukraine bring €2 Billion yearly to Ukrainian budget. The saving from reopening the ole live pipeline could be tremendous. ROI just about 4 years (!)] 

...Philipp Possa writes: “The company maintains the necessary personnel to secure the pipeline and possible health, safety and environmental risks.”

Switzerland has not accepted the sanctions. The company is not restricted in its business activities in this country.

“If you wanted to adopt US sanctions, the Federal Council would have to decide.”

Switzerland only accepts UN sanctions because they are legitimate under international law and Switzerland itself is a UN member.

[MRT: Unilateral sanctions are kind of illegal, only UN sanctions shall be adopted by states. Actually The legal Act of Retorsion (anti-sanctions) do allow Gazprom to stop all deliveries would they decide to do so. Here is the legal paper about this - post] 

The other thing remains, the first Nord Stream company. It is not subject to any sanctions. Like Nord Stream 2, it is majority owned by the Russian energy company Gazprom. However, a number of European energy companies are still involved in Nord Stream.

 [MRT: Actually this is partially incorrect, the Gazprom´s Novak said in spring 2022 that sanctions are such mess that it causes serious issues to fid out what is allowed and what is not and severely restricts operations of NS1 - ths was seen also with maintenance work on turbines]

Nordstream: US authorities have reportedly warned Germany several times

 

June 2022 - The C.I.A. had warned European governments of potential attacks on pipelines.

The warning was not specific, the officials said, and they declined to say whether Russia was identified as a possible attacker.

The C.I.A. issued a vague warning in June to a number of European nations, including Germany, that the two Nord Stream gas pipelines that carry natural gas from Russia could be targeted in forthcoming attacks, three senior officials familiar with the intelligence said on Tuesday.

[MRT: The warning was most likely very specific, warnings are exact and done in a clear message. Also the mumber of European countries = Nordstream shareholders = GER+AUT, NED, FRA but not RU] 

The German publication Der Spiegel was the first to report that the U.S. had provided what intelligence officials call “strategic warning” of a possible attack — a warning that came with no specifics about the likely time or place or manner of a potential strike.

[MRT: Journalists should be asking for exactly details on this warning(s) - date, place, means. Considering this was done in June and the UK is the prime suspect it could be that Johnson has given orders for the mission to proceed, it is not clear if these included the final "GO AHEAD". It is possible that there was some trigger for the mission to proceed hence the warning.] 

June 2022 - IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS - Security threats to undersea communications cables and infrastructure – consequences for the EU

28 Sept 2022 - Denmark was not warned about possible threats to the Nord Stream pipelines

The German government was allegedly warned several times about the possibility of attacks on the gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2. It was not the Danish government, writes NTB.

- Neither I nor the government have been notified. I also don't think that this type of explosion is something that is warned about. Of course, I cannot go into what discussions are in other countries, says Bødskov.

US authorities have reportedly warned Germany several times about the possibility of attacks on underground and submarine gas pipelines.

[MRT: Note the plural] 

As recently as a few weeks ago, an inquiry is said to have come from the American intelligence service CIA, according to German Der Spiegel and the American New York Times...

--- music break ---

 A Madman's Dream Song by East Flatbush Project

Lyrics

I've got a rep as a sick individual

'Cause my material's original plus critical

Wild like a savage, well above average

The world had it coming when my mom's named me Travis

Straight from the womb, I come to bring doom, so give me room

As I presume to break apart you little goons'

Competitors are blind, they're left behind and can't find

I find a rhyme to mind, rewind this line just one time

'I leave you stiff like a mannequin, ain't no needed panickin'

I aim for your abdomen and cut like Kenny Anderson

 

Dmitry Peskov: Danish investigation ends, Friend or Foe comment

 

26 Feb 2024 - Kremlin comments after another EU state drops Nord Stream probe,... 

Dmitry Peskov: 

Copenhagen must have found "close allies" when searching for the culprits behind the sabotage, a spokesman has suggested

[MRT: Note that he speaks in plural, my hypothesis is that the UK went rogue, US pulled out but is complicit for not stopping the mission and profiting from it] 

The Danish decision to end its investigation into the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea was probably motivated by Copenhagen's unwillingness to establish the truth about the crime, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has suggested...

[MRT: Note that NATO itself ststed there was a "substantial environmental damage"]

The Copenhagen Police do not see "sufficient grounds to pursue a criminal case in Denmark" over the incident, they said on Monday in a statement announcing the development. The probe, conducted jointly with the Danish Security and Intelligence Services (PET), was "complex and comprehensive" and resulted in a conclusion that the incident was deliberate sabotage. Nothing was said about possible suspects in the press-release...

The situation is "close to absurd," Peskov told journalists when asked about the news.

"Apparently, they were getting closer to, as they call it, outing their closest allies," he suggested. "One can only express absolute astonishment and nothing else."

[MRT: Note that usage of the plural.] 

Denmark said investigators cooperated with "relevant foreign partners," but Peskov stressed that Russian law enforcement was not among those.

"In the early stages of the investigation, we consistently asked the Danes for information about what had happened, but the requests were rejected," he said.

 

 

 

 

The NATO Retaliation statement oxymoron

- Just think about it -

Oxymoron = a figure of speech in which 

apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction

29 Sept 2022 - NATO Threatens Retaliation After Gas Leaks It Says Were Likely Sabotage

The NATO military alliance warned Thursday it would retaliate for any attacks on the critical infrastructure of its 30 member countries and joined other Western officials in citing sabotage as the likely cause of damage to two natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea. 

The official NATO statement

29 Sept 2022 - The NATO Invitees associate themselves with this Statement.

1. The damage to the Nordstream 1 and Nordstream 2 pipelines in international waters in the Baltic Sea is of deep concern. All currently available information indicates that this is the result of deliberate, reckless, and irresponsible acts of sabotage. These leaks are causing risks to shipping and substantial environmental damage. We support the investigations underway to determine the origin of the damage.

2. We, as Allies, have committed to prepare for, deter and defend against the coercive use of energy and other hybrid tactics by state and non-state actors. Any deliberate attack against Allies’ critical infrastructure would be met with a united and determined response.

[MRT: The statement just does not make any sense. NATO can not retaliate against own member attacking its infrastructure.So what was this statement about? Could it be that NATO was aware who has executed the mission and was worrying against Russian retaliation?]

Atlantic Council - What will the impact be if Nord Stream 2 is completed? - Transport fees, liability

27 April 2021 - What will the impact be if Nord Stream 2 is completed?

"...THE FINANCIAL EFFECTS if NS2 is completed or not will be significant, but not major. They fall into two groups. One group is redistribution of transit fees in the case of completion of NS2. The other is the sunk construction costs of NS2.

Traditionally, Ukraine has made $3 billion a year on transit fees, which have fallen to less than $2 billion a year now that Russia has reduced its transit volumes after having cut its supplies and diverted them to NS1. Poland and Belarus probably each receive transit fees of about $500 million a year, though Gazprom has seized ownership of the pipeline through Belarus. With the completion of NS2, Germany would receive transit fees on the order of $2 billion a year to transport gas to Southern and Eastern European countries that might have been forced to pay slightly more for the Russian gas...

[MRT: How interesting that the UK has this information in their strategy documents?] 

Because of various legal intricacies, Gazprom was forced to take full ownership of NS2. It was supposed to cost about €9.5 billion, but is probably closer to €11 billion. Gazprom is supposed to finance half of NS2 on its own, while its five Western partner companies are supposed to lend €950 million each to the project. The big legal question is who, if anybody, becomes liable if the project is stopped. If US sanctions stop it, as currently seems likely, nobody is likely to be held responsible, because so far nobody has managed to successfully sue the US Treasury Department over sanctions. If the German government stops the project, it might become liable, since it has previously approved of NS2. A third option is that the European Union, in one of its many forms, blocks the project. It is unlikely that the EU would be liable, as it has never really approved of NS2 but was overrun by the German government..."

[MRT: This is a great argument that the USA did not need to blow-up Nordstream 2 AG pipelines.] 

Note that last week Nordstream filed insurance case in London:

 "Russian-linked Nord Stream files claim after 2022 blast"

   Sikorski moment post here

 

NOR-DK-POL Inconsistency? Nope

26 Sept 2022 - Støre skips the opening of the new Baltic pipeline

27 Sept 2022 - The pipeline was inaugurated at an opening ceremony in Goleniów, Poland,

...with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Norwegian Energy Minister Terje Aasland participated.

[MRT:

PL - President 

DK - Prime minister

NOR - Energy minister?

The NOR PM was announced to be at the opening party,

but had more important things to do ]

 

This blog post describes what Støre did the week before:

POST: Was Norway briefing USA about possible threat to undersea pipeline infrastructure on 19-09-2022?

[MRT: Norway acts suspiciously very calmly considering that they are the 2nsd largest pipeline operator in Europe after Russia. It is even sharing some data with its oil/Gas Majors.]

28 Sept 2022 - Equinor and Gassco placed under the Safety Act: - Naturally, we step up preparedness

Key companies in the oil industry must cooperate more closely with the authorities. - Can access classified information, says Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

According to the Petroleum Act, it is the operators on the shelf who are responsible for the safety measures on platforms and land facilities.

[Mrt: He is stating that it is private and not state ownership, if attacked it could be considered a sabotage, if it is a state owned then it is an attack against the state. Later these will be transfered under state ownership which provides beter legal protection, compare to Nordstream AG discussed in another post - here and other posts.] 

Now important players and the government will work together more closely. Central companies in the oil sector are partially subject to the Act on National Security (the Security Act), Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) told a press conference on Wednesday.

The government has also decided that "transport of gas in pipes to Europe" should also be understood as a fundamental national function. It reflects today's threat picture.

Then I will repeat this. We have no concrete indications that there are direct threats to Norwegian oil and gas installations, let me emphasize that, but both the companies and the Norwegian authorities are working closely together to strengthen security.  

[MRT: If one connects these three events one gets the idea as for what is going on in here... ]

[MRT: Støre KNEW, he was the one who blew the whistle.]

The Norwegian Defense Intelligence Service assesses that there is no increased military threat to Denmark

27 Sept 2022 - Denmark's Prime Minister on the gas leaks: 

Talk about deliberate actions

Both Sweden's and Denmark's prime ministers believe the gas leaks are deliberate actions, but deny that it is an attack on the countries.

Nevertheless, the Norwegian Defense Intelligence Service assesses that there is no increased military threat to Denmark, says the Prime Minister.

Not an accident

Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod, Defense Minister Morten Bødskov and Climate, Energy and Supply Minister Dan Jørgensen are also present at the press conference.

The nature of the leaks and their size indicate that it cannot be an accident, says Minister of Supply Dan Jørgensen.

The ministers will not say anything about what they believe is the motive behind the sabotage of the pipeline.

Increases preparedness

Defense Minister Morten Bødskov says that preparedness around Bornholm is now being increased.

The Norwegian Defense Forces have had a patrol ship in the area since yesterday.

The government cooperates with Denmark, Norway, Finland, Germany and the USA, says Andersson.

Andersson states that on Tuesday she spoke on the phone with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg about the matter.

She says that Norway has notified Sweden of increased drone activity in the North Sea.

 

[MRT: How could he know and asset the situation better than the DK secret services and other governments? What did the Norwegian Prime minister knew what others did not?] 

 

The post is related to what Støre did the week before:

Was Norway briefing USA about possible threat to undersea pipeline infrastructure on 19-09-2022?

Putin & Carlson on who blew up the Nord Stream pipeline

 

Who Blew Up Nord Stream? | Part 1

Carlson asks:

 
"Who blew up Nord Stream?

Putin answers:

"You for sure."

Carlson: 

I was busy that day. I did not blow up Nord Stream.

Putin: 

You personally may have an alibi, but the CIA has no such [alibi].

...

Who Blew Up Nord Stream? | Part 2

Carlson: 

Do you have the evidence?

Putin: 

<dodges avoids to answer>

"Look for someone who is interested"

"In the war of propaganda it is difficult to defeat USA"

...

"He who benefits has done it"

8 February 2024
(Source: Exclusive: Tucker Carlson Interviews Vladimir Putin)

[MRT: Carlson asks if Putin has evidence that NATO or CIA did it 

but he excludes the possibility that another government has done it 

and that the USA, as this hypothesis proposes, stepped aside 

and either let the mission to proceed 

and/or was unable to stop it.]

[MRT: Exact details are for investigators and lawyers to find out.]

Inrerestingly the Puttin´s message is consistent with this previous statement that the Nordstream was blows up by Anglo Saxons where he states also "He who benefits has done it".

30 Sept 2022 - Video

(Thanks for highlighting this 

Kaira 

@ashkairaa

)

UK motives here:

BRITAIN´S NOT JUST HARSH RETHORICS

UK has changed its security structures on 23-09-2022

What the heck happened on Friday 23-09-2022 that Liz Truss scuttled out of the chamber and went into hiding?

UK officials love to play Hide and Seek

The British pound reacts to the instability during the Nordstream crisis

BRITAIN & MOTIVES
Historical ROOTS of Nordstream affair

London's attempts to implement ‘Global Britain’ concept failed

UK warns about the energy storm coming before Nordstream is taken down

Mission accomplished - UK - from Energy Importer to Energy Exporter

Donald Trump on who blew up the Nord Stream pipeline

 

12 April 2023

Former President Donald Trump sits down with Tucker Carlson

to discuss foreign policy 

and how the world has changed since he left office.

Carlson asks:

“Who blew up the Nord Stream pipeline?” 

Trump answers:
 

7“I don’t want to get our country in trouble,
 

so I won’t answer it. 

But I can tell you who it wasn’t, was Russia.”

[MRT: The truth is dangerous for the Trans-Atlantic alliance and cohesion of NATO.
MRT: The result of this hypothesis that the UK went rogue,
that the US learned about it and stepped aside - in a shortest shortcut explanation.
MRT: There could be legal issues for the USA if they learned about the planned sabotage/terrorist act and let it happen without stopping. Exact details are up to lawyers and investigators.]

Russian-linked Nord Stream files claim after 2022 blast

 February 

I monitor Nordstream related news daily, several times a day. - 

Yesterday the X/twitter came with this news:

20 Feb 2024 - After the two-year anniversary of #Russia's heinous invasion of #Ukraine, Russian-state dominated #NordStream has sued its insurers @LloydsofLondon and @ArchInsInt after its pipelines were suspiciously destroyed in 2022.

[MRT: Nordstream AG is owned 51% by Gazprom, 49% is by consortium of GER, AUT, FRA and DUT companies. The Nordstream 2 AG is fully owned subsidiary of Gazprom where 49% of equity is in the form of loan by the same companies as NS1. Both are incorporated in Zug Switzerland. Was the attack against a SUI companies? SUI did not attend UN meeting, did not rise concerns. Who has jurisdiction to the case? Gazprom is majority owed by RU state but rest is other investors, pension funds etc. IF the crime is connected to the Ukrainian war and IF it was done by a Western state as to prevent Russia to get income then, if found guilty, the claim will be astronomical. The definition of what the event was is very important. Read my post bellow.]

The tweet points to this article: "Russian-linked Nord Stream files claim after 2022 blast" which is unfortunately behind a paywall. 

"The consortium behind Nord Stream, which runs a network of pipelines under the Baltic Sea between Russia and Germany, has moved to sue its insurers Lloyds and Arch Insurance."

Additional information:

"@LloydsOfLondon and @MunichRe insured Nord Stream 2 and Gazprom’s insurance arm SOGAZ."

Here is short intro about SOGAZ: wikipedia

19 February 2024 - Nord Stream AG v. Lloyd's Insurance Company S.A. and another

(via Erkperk who found this case nr.)

LEGAL related posts:

Have sanctions against Nordstream Insurers created Catch-22 situation?

The Definition, Severity and Accountability of the Nordstream Affair

Who said it is a "Sabotage" first?

The Act of Retorsion allows Gazprom legal suspension of deliveries to Europe

The $1.5 Trillion Margin Call on EU energy Utilities

Nordstream emergency response plan and yearly check-ups

IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS - Security threats to undersea communications cables and infrastructure – consequences for the EU (Sunak´s paper)

QUESTIONS:

• Did the SWE decision not to pursue the case due to no jurisdiction opened the door for the claim?
  
  
• What is the definition of the case? Was it sabotage, terrorist act, armed attack?
  
  
• Will the case be open to public or is it going to be behind closed doors settlement?

Sweden announces it lacks jurisdiction in the Nordstream case

Swedish officials claim that they “lacked jurisdiction” to reveal what happened and have now handed their evidence to German investigators.

“We have a picture of what has happened, and what that picture consists of we cannot go into more detail, but it leads to the conclusion that we do not have jurisdiction,” Swedish Public Prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist told Reuters. “It is not Sweden’s task to continue this investigation.”

Sweden may lack jurisdiction over the explosions in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for several reasons:

1. International Law: Sweden may have determined that under international law, jurisdiction over the incidents falls under the principle of flag state jurisdiction. 

This principle dictates that the state whose flag the vessel carrying out the activities was flying has primary jurisdiction. Since the Nordstream pipelines are a joint project involving multiple countries, and the explosions were likely caused by a state actor, jurisdiction may fall to the state(s) whose flags the vessels involved in the explosions were flying.

This principle dictates that the flag state has jurisdiction to regulate, investigate, and prosecute incidents that occur on board its flagged vessels, regardless of where the vessel is located in international waters or the exclusive economic zones of other countries. 

The principle of flag state jurisdiction is primarily associated with ships and maritime vessels, but it can also extend to other assets such as offshore installations, pipelines, seabed cables, and similar structures. 

2. Multinational Ownership: The Nordstream 1 AG pipelines are jointly owned by Russia, Germany, the Netherlands, and France, with Russia owning 51% and the other countries collectively owning 49%. The Nordstream 2 AG is a daughter company of Russian Gazprom in which same states companies as in NS1 provided loans in the amount of 49%. 

Given this multinational ownership, determining jurisdiction may require agreement among all involved parties or may default to the flag state principle mentioned earlier.

3. Political Considerations: Sweden may also consider the geopolitical implications of asserting jurisdiction over incidents involving state actors from other countries. 

In this scenario, where the likely perpetrator is believed to be Britain, Sweden may not want to escalate tensions or become embroiled in a diplomatic dispute by asserting jurisdiction without clear legal grounds.

4. Limited Scope of Jurisdiction: Even though the explosions occurred within Sweden's (and Danish) EEZs, the scope of Sweden's jurisdiction may be limited to certain types of offenses or activities explicitly outlined in international law or domestic legislation. 

If the explosions do not fall within these defined parameters, Sweden may lack the legal authority to investigate or prosecute the incidents.

Overall, Sweden's announcement that they lack jurisdiction over the explosions in their EEZ may stem from a combination of legal principles, multinational ownership of the pipelines, political considerations, and the limited scope of their jurisdiction under international law.

More on this topic and why Sweden is compromised:

The partnership between United Kingdom and Sweden - Conflict of interests

Colletced statements of SWE main investigator Mats Ljungquist

Investigations, Sweden: Mats Ljungqvist - the Swedish investigator