RIGA, November 28 (RIA Novosti, Yury Guralnik) - The Russian ambassador to Latvia said Monday that the Baltic states have only themselves to blame for the North-European gas pipeline's planned bypass of their territory.
Viktor Kalyuzhny criticized the Baltics for letting political principles override the importance of economic issues.
"Otherwise, the pipeline would have crossed Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia to the satisfaction of everyone," Kalyuzhny said.
The North-European gas pipeline (NEGP) will connect the Russian coast of the Baltic Sea near Vyborg with the German coast. The pipeline will enable Russia to diversify its export routes and bring natural gas to Western Europe avoiding transit states along its route. The pipeline will pump 55 billion cu m of gas annually and will begin operating in 2010.
The Baltic countries and Poland are dissatisfied with the NEGP project because the pipeline will bypass their territory.
