Russia to get Nord Stream if Finland gets back Karelia
The Finnish businessmen who have applied for underwater mining in the area of the projected Nord Stream pipeline say they will drop their plans if Russia returns Karelia to Finland.
The four businessmen earlier this year announced that they intend to engage in underwater mining in the Baltic Sea, in the area of the projected Nord Stream pipeline, and that an application will be sent to Finnish authorities.
With their plans, the businessmen might force the powerful Nord Stream consortium to change the route of the projected 1220 km long underwater gas pipeline. That, in the next turn might boost pipeline construction costs and possibly jeopardize the whole project.
Now the businessmen say that they will drop their plans if Russia returns Karelia to Finland, news agency STT reports with reference to YLE. They also confirme that the Russian-German-Dutch Nord Stream consortium has offered a significant amount of money if the application is withdrawn, but that they instead demand a return of Karelia.
Kari Silvennoinen, a solicitor, said the Russian government had offered the businessmen considerable amounts of money in return for withdrawing the application, adding his clients had refused the cash and wanted Karelia instead, Newsroom Finland writes.
The land of what today is the Republic of Karelia was before the 2WW Finnish land. It was taken by the Soviet Union during the war.
