Miroslav Jenca at a meeting of the Security Council. Nord Stream: UN Assistant Head Calls for Cooperation and Information Exchange Peace and Security
The damage to the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in September 2022 highlights the vulnerability of critical commercial and energy infrastructure. The UN Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, Miroslav Jenča, stated this at the Security Council. The Council meeting was convened at the initiative of Russia.
“Any intentional damage to critical civilian infrastructure is of grave concern and must be condemned and investigated,” Jencsa stressed. A tense situation has developed around the incidents, and different hypotheses have been expressed, he noted.
According to the UN assistant chief, despite the closure of several country-level investigations, the Russian Federation called for further action by the international community. In March 2023, the UN Security Council did not support Russia’s resolution on an international investigation into the incidents at the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines.
“The United Nations does not have any further details of the events and is not in a position to verify or confirm the statements or reports made in connection with these incidents,” Jenca added.
In February 2023, the United Nations Environment Program estimated the likely scale of total methane leaks from damaged gas pipelines to be between 75,000 and 230,000 metric tons, he said. The level of impact of the incidents on the environment, including the marine environment, has yet to be assessed.
The UN Assistant Secretary-General called on the parties to exercise restraint during the ongoing investigations, and also called for cooperation and exchange of information between Member States to ensure the safety of international waters, in particular the Baltic Sea.