OREANDA-NEWS. President of the Republic of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen, does not support the idea of ​​blocking the construction of the gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 due to the situation with Russian politician Aleksey Navalny. He stated this after a meeting with the Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelensky.

Van der Bellen explained that he sees no connection between the gas pipeline and Navalny’s poisoning. Nord Stream 2 is a commercial project, and the topic of its construction should be discussed by trade partners, he noted. The Austrian President added that the issues connected to the pipeline should be decided in Europe, and not in Washington.

According to Austrian legislation, the head of state is the president. However, the country is governed by a federal cabinet headed by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. The Austrian company OMV is involved in financing the construction of Nord Stream 2.