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STORY: UN / NORD STREAM PIPELINE
TRT: 03:14
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / RUSSIAN / NATS
DATELINE: 26 APRIL 2024, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UN Headquarters
26 APRIL 2024, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Wide shot, Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča addressing Council
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and Americas, Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations:
“We reiterate that any intentional damage to critical civilian infrastructure is of serious concern, should be condemned and investigated. In the current sensitive security context, we urge everyone to exercise restraint while we wait for the remaining investigation to conclude and for information to be shared accordingly.”
5. Wide shot, Council
6. Wide shot, Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya addressing Council
7. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Russian Federation:
“Given the gravity of this crime, many of our Security Council colleagues pinned hopes on the outcome of national investigations which began immediately after the terrorist act by Germany, Denmark and Sweden. We were sceptical from the get-go, given that Berlin, Copenhagen and Stockholm refused to cooperate with the Russian Federation, although we're an interested party. Our doubts grew stronger after these countries refused outright to speak before the Security Council on this topic.
8. Wide shot, Nebenzya addressing Council
9. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Russian Federation:
“Information was disseminated in the Security Council about the fact that the Danish and Swedish authorities were ending their national investigations. So, what did they find out? Nothing, zilch. The only concrete outcome was the same thing they said in the first few days after the terrorist attack: the branches of Nord Stream were deliberately destroyed using explosive devices. And despite the fact that they recognized this fact, they said that there were no grounds for continuing the criminal investigation within their jurisdiction. So, a crime was committed. But no one intends to find the guilty party not to hold them to account.”
10. Wide shot, Council
11. Wide shot, US Ambassador John Kelley addressing Council
12, SOUNDBITE (English) John Kelley, Political Minister Counsellor, Permanent Mission to the United Nations, United States:
“Russia has repeatedly called meetings on this topic to spread disinformation, cast aspersions, and discredit ongoing national investigations. It is hard to keep up with Russia’s latest accusations, but one thing remains the same: a victimization narrative. We welcome the reporting to this Council from Sweden and Denmark on the conclusions of their respective national investigations and note Germany’s ongoing investigation. As we have said many times before, these competent national investigations should be allowed to complete their work and to do so without external interference. We maintain confidence in the independence and rigor of Germany’s investigation, and strongly object to attempts to get ahead of or prejudice those efforts.”
16. Wide shot, Council
Briefing the Council today (26 Apr) on the destruction of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022, a top political affairs official reiterated that “any intentional damage to critical civilian infrastructure is of serious concern and should be condemned and investigated,” and urged everyone “to exercise restraint while we wait for the remaining investigation to conclude and for the information to be shared accordingly.”
Assistant Secretary-General for Central Asia, Europe, and Americas at the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Miroslav Jenča, informed the Council that UN does not have any additional details of the events and is not in a position to verify or confirm claims or reports made regarding the incident.
Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya of the Russian Federation, which called today’s meeting, said, Russia was “sceptical from the get-go,” about the outcome of national investigations by Germany, Denmark and Sweden, “given that Berlin, Copenhagen and Stockholm refused to cooperate with the Russian Federation, although we're an interested party.”
Nebenzya said the Council had been informed in February this year that the Danish and Swedish authorities were ending their national investigations.
He said, “so, what did they find out? Nothing, zilch. The only concrete outcome was the same thing they said in the first few days after the terrorist attack: the branches of Nord Stream were deliberately destroyed using explosive devices,” adding that “despite the fact that they recognized this fact, they said that there were no grounds for continuing the criminal investigation within their jurisdiction.”
Nebenzya said, “a crime was committed. But no one intends to find the guilty party not to hold them to account.”
United States representative John Kelley told the Council, “Russia has repeatedly called meetings on this topic to spread disinformation, cast aspersions, and discredit ongoing national investigations. It is hard to keep up with Russia’s latest accusations, but one thing remains the same: a victimization narrative. “
Kelley welcomed Sweden and Denmark’s report to the Council “on the conclusions of their respective national investigations and note Germany’s ongoing investigation.”
He said, these competent national investigations should be allowed to complete their work and to do so without external interference. We maintain confidence in the independence and rigor of Germany’s investigation, and strongly object to attempts to get ahead of or prejudice those efforts.”
Between 26 and 29 September 2022, four leaks were reported in the Nord Stream undersea gas pipelines. These pipelines are located in international waters, within the Swedish and Danish economic zones in the Baltic Sea.
The first leak was reported on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the morning of 26 September 2022. Later that day, the second and third leaks were reported on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. The fourth leak was reported on 29 September on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
While the pipelines were not in operation at the time of the incidents, they reportedly contained several hundred million cubic meters of natural gas. In February 2023, the United Nations Environment Programme estimated the plausible range of total methane emissions leaked during the incident to be between 75,000 and 230,000 metric tons.
