Germany has made a decision in favor of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline regardless of other EU countries’ view, but the political struggle which is going on around the project, is much broader than just the matter of gas supplies, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday.

Axar.az reports that she was addressing the spring session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) via video link.

Merkel stressed that Germany had always advocated for Ukraine to remain a transit country in the export of gas from Russia to the European Union. She stressed she knew the conflicting opinions regarding the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and the position of many member states. Nevertheless, the EU has developed a joint position, which is reflected in the renewal of the EU Gas Directive, she said.

"We can see that the conflict here is much broader and focuses on the question of how much we want to support trade with Russia, primarily in the energy sector. Germany has decided in favor of building Nord Stream 2," Merkel said.