Russia's UNSC Draft Statement Calls for Condemnation of Nord Stream Terrorist Attack
© Photo Danish Defence Command/Forsvaret Ritzau Scanpix
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UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - The Nord Stream pipelines, built to deliver gas under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, were hit by explosions in September 2022. In February 2023, Pulitzer Prize-winning US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh published a report, saying that the explosions had been organized by the US with the support of Norway.
Russia has circulated in the UN Security Council a draft statement by the Council's president calling for condemnation of last year's terrorist attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines, Russia's First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy said on Telegram.
“As we had announced at our meeting on the blowing up of Nord Streams on September 26, today we circulated a draft statement by the UN Security Council president on this terrorist attack,” Polyanskiy said.
The draft statement, seen by Sputnik, says the UN Security Council condemns the terrorist act against the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines and calls for a thorough investigation into the attack.
“The Security Council condemns in the strongest terms the act of terrorism against the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in September 2022," according to the draft statement.
It said the Security Council stressed that the attack was a direct threat to international peace and security and caused devastating consequences, such as environmental damage, long-term economic loss to a number of countries and danger to the Baltic Sea navigation.
“The Security Council emphasizes the importance of conducting an efficient, impartial, transparent, inclusive and thorough international investigation into all circumstances of the attack against the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in order to identify its perpetrators, sponsors, organizers and accomplices," the draft statement said.
It said the Council deplores the lack of specific official information about the probe conducted by Denmark, Germany and Sweden.
“The Security Council appeals to national authorities of Denmark, Germany and Sweden to accelerate their national investigations into the act of terrorism in question and to share their findings, including preliminary ones, and any other relevant information with the Security Council, as well as to cooperate with the national authorities of the Russian Federation and the operator of the pipeline as parties concerned," according to the draft statement, the decision on which should now be made by the Council.
“The Security Council underlines that any attack against cross-country gas pipeline infrastructure represents a threat to international peace and security and should not be tolerated," the draft statement also said.
The Nord Stream pipelines, built to deliver gas under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, were hit by explosions in September 2022. The pipeline's operator, Nord Stream AG, said that the damage was unprecedented and it was impossible to estimate the time repairs might take.
Denmark, Germany and Norway have left Russia out of their investigations into the attack, prompting Moscow to launch its own investigation with charges of international terrorism.
No official results of the investigations have yet been announced, but Pulitzer Prize-winning US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh published a report in February 2023, saying that the explosions had been organized by the United States with the support of Norway. Washington has denied any involvement in the incident.
In mid-July, media reported that Dutch military intelligence had informed the CIA of Ukraine's plans to sabotage the Nord Stream pipelines months before it happened.
