Rising cost of Northern Pipeline worries Moscow

The initiators of this project, which is to run along the bottom of the Baltic Sea and avoid transit countries, are Germany and Russia. Poland as well as other Baltic states have voiced objections. "Prime Minister Donald Tusk will attempt to convince Russia that the land gas pipeline is much cheaper than that running it along the bottom of the Baltic Sea," said Sikorski. According to experts the spiraling cost of the Northern Pipeline's construction has already significantly exceeded the planned US$4 billion. Prime Minister Tusk will visit Moscow on February 8 and will touch on the issue. "Maybe the current situation creates room for a change in Russia and Germany's stance on the project," added Sikorski. Former PM Jarosław Kaczyński is critical of any negotiation with Russia, as "a turn in Polish policies creates doubt and unrest among our neighbors." (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 7) A.K.