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Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks on December 11, 2021 at a hybrid party conference of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) in Berlin. REUTERS / Hannibal Hanschke / Pool
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BERLIN, 12.12. (Reuters) – Chancellor Olaf Scholz is in Warsaw on Sunday for talks about the migrant crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border, Poland’s dispute with the EU over judicial independence, tensions with Russia over armament near Ukraine and the fate of a Russian Gas pipeline to Germany.
The two neighbors have made it clear what they expect from each other.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said he would call on Scholz to oppose the commissioning of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to bring Russian gas to Germany, bypassing Ukraine, as it could be used against Europe by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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Germany has supported Poland’s efforts to stop the influx of migrants trying to enter from Belarus, a crisis the European Union has blamed Minsk for engineering, and said it would help Warsaw and Brussels resolve their litigation.
However, Germany’s new government has not made a public commitment to stop the Nord Stream 2 pipeline if Russia invades Ukraine, as demanded by Poland and the US.
Russia has set up troops on its border with Ukraine, which raises fears of a possible invasion. US President Joe Biden warned Putin on Tuesday that Nord Stream 2 could be disrupted and harsh economic sanctions would be imposed if troops march in.
US officials have told Congressmen they will come to an agreement with Germany to shut down the Nord Stream 2 pipeline if Russia invades Ukraine, a senior congressional adviser said Tuesday.
German officials have not confirmed these reports, but Scholz said Wednesday that there would be consequences if Russia breaks through the Ukrainian border.
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock adopted a conciliatory tone during a visit to Warsaw on Friday in the Polish legal dispute with Brussels. Germany will contribute to a solution.
The European Court of Justice has fined Poland after it found that the judicial reforms adopted by the right-wing extremist Law and Justice (PiS) party violated EU law.
Poland refused to pay the fine and its own supreme court ruled that Polish law can take precedence over EU rules.
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Reporting by Joseph Nasr Editing by Ros Russell
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/russian-gas-eu-law-high-agenda-scholz-visits-poland-2021-12-11/
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