German Chancellor Candidate Announces Relaunch of Nord Stream Pipeline
The article highlights that Alice Weidel, a member of the AfD party, has assured Germans that they “can count” on her party to reestablish energy connections with Russia. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Alternative for Germany co-leader Alice Weidel has stated that Germans “can count” on her party to restore energy connections with Russia. She has made a commitment to reactivate the sabotaged Nord Stream gas pipelines if her party wins in the upcoming general election.
During a recent gathering in Riesa, AfD members officially nominated Weidel as their candidate to take over from Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose coalition government collapsed late last year. This nomination signifies the right-wing AfD’s first attempt at the chancellery in its 11-year existence.
In her post-nomination speech, Weidel pledged to enforce stringent immigration policies, which include the “remigration” of legally residing immigrants in Germany, and to eliminate Scholz’s green policies to lower energy costs. She emphasized that restoring energy relationships with Russia is crucial for achieving this objective.
“We will put Nord Stream back into operation, you can count on it,” Weidel communicated to her supporters.
Prior to the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Germany depended on Russia for 55% of its natural gas supply, primarily channeled through the Nord Stream 1 pipelines. The parallel Nord Stream 2 was set to begin operations in 2022; however, Berlin revoked its certification mere days before Russia initiated military operations in Ukraine, and both pipeline systems were subsequently destroyed in an act of sabotage in September.
While German investigators have leaned toward the theory that Ukrainian saboteurs caused the destruction, American journalist Seymour Hersh alleges that it was the work of the CIA and the US Navy. Sergey Naryshkin, head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, has attributed the sabotage to “professional saboteurs from the Anglo-American special services,” referring to the United States and the United Kingdom.
Scholz’s decision to stop importing Russian energy, along with his government’s green initiatives, has resulted in skyrocketing electricity prices in Germany. This situation has forced major manufacturers, such as Volkswagen and BASF, to shut down facilities and cut jobs.
The call for the repair and reopening of the Nord Stream is not limited to the AfD. The leftist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance has also demanded the restoration of the gas pipelines, with BSW MP Sevim Dagdelen recently urging that they “finally be put into operation” and for the German government to “stop giving money to Kiev!”
Germans will head to the polls on February 23 to elect a new government. Presently, the AfD is polling around 20%, outpacing Scholz’s center-left Social Democratic Party at 16%, but trailing the center-right Christian Democratic Union at 31%. Even if the AfD were to become the largest party, all of Germany’s other mainstream parties have dismissed the possibility of forming a coalition with them.
Debra A Smith for TROIB News
During a recent gathering in Riesa, AfD members officially nominated Weidel as their candidate to take over from Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose coalition government collapsed late last year. This nomination signifies the right-wing AfD’s first attempt at the chancellery in its 11-year existence.
In her post-nomination speech, Weidel pledged to enforce stringent immigration policies, which include the “remigration” of legally residing immigrants in Germany, and to eliminate Scholz’s green policies to lower energy costs. She emphasized that restoring energy relationships with Russia is crucial for achieving this objective.
“We will put Nord Stream back into operation, you can count on it,” Weidel communicated to her supporters.
Prior to the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Germany depended on Russia for 55% of its natural gas supply, primarily channeled through the Nord Stream 1 pipelines. The parallel Nord Stream 2 was set to begin operations in 2022; however, Berlin revoked its certification mere days before Russia initiated military operations in Ukraine, and both pipeline systems were subsequently destroyed in an act of sabotage in September.
While German investigators have leaned toward the theory that Ukrainian saboteurs caused the destruction, American journalist Seymour Hersh alleges that it was the work of the CIA and the US Navy. Sergey Naryshkin, head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, has attributed the sabotage to “professional saboteurs from the Anglo-American special services,” referring to the United States and the United Kingdom.
Scholz’s decision to stop importing Russian energy, along with his government’s green initiatives, has resulted in skyrocketing electricity prices in Germany. This situation has forced major manufacturers, such as Volkswagen and BASF, to shut down facilities and cut jobs.
The call for the repair and reopening of the Nord Stream is not limited to the AfD. The leftist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance has also demanded the restoration of the gas pipelines, with BSW MP Sevim Dagdelen recently urging that they “finally be put into operation” and for the German government to “stop giving money to Kiev!”
Germans will head to the polls on February 23 to elect a new government. Presently, the AfD is polling around 20%, outpacing Scholz’s center-left Social Democratic Party at 16%, but trailing the center-right Christian Democratic Union at 31%. Even if the AfD were to become the largest party, all of Germany’s other mainstream parties have dismissed the possibility of forming a coalition with them.
Debra A Smith for TROIB News
