WARSAW: A Polish deputy prime minister on Friday denied his country’s involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea in September 2022.
“Poland did not take part in anything. It has to be said clearly that this is a lie,” the minister, Krzysztof Gawkowski, told TV channel Polsat News.
Gawkowski was speaking after former German intelligence chief August Hanning, who held the post between 1998 and 2005, accused Poland of working with Ukraine on the sabotage.
Kyiv has also strongly denied any role.
“It looks like it was a Ukrainian team that acted, according to the results of the investigation,” Hanning said in an interview with the Die Welt daily.
“It is quite obvious that Polish authorities were involved,” he said, calling for Germany to demand compensation from Kyiv and Warsaw.
Gawkowski firmly denied the accusation.
“I think this is Russian disinformation resonating through the words of German politicians,” he said.
“Either they are acting under the influence” of Moscow “or they know that this will lead to divisions between NATO member states,” he said.
Polish prosecutors on Wednesday told AFP they had received an arrest warrant issued by Berlin for a Ukrainian diver residing in Poland accused of involvement in the blasts.
But Warsaw said he left the country before he could be detained.
On Thursday, Ukraine said the accusation of its involvement was “absolute nonsense” after a detailed report in the Wall Street Journal.
Nord Stream’s twin gas pipelines, which ran from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, came under intense scrutiny when Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Several large gas leaks were discovered emanating from the pipelines in September 2022, with seismic institutes recording underwater explosions just before.
Poland denies involvement in Nord Stream sabotage
https://arab.news/2kvte
Poland denies involvement in Nord Stream sabotage
- “Poland did not take part in anything. It has to be said clearly that this is a lie,” the minister, Krzysztof Gawkowski, said
- Gawkowski was speaking after former German intelligence chief August Hanning accused Poland of working with Ukraine on the sabotage
Italian PM pledges to deepen cooperation with African states
- The plan, launched in 2024, aims to promote investment-led cooperation rather than traditional aid
ADDIS ABABA: Italy pledged to deepen cooperation with African countries at its second Italy-Africa summit, the first held on African soil, to review projects launched in critical sectors such as energy and infrastructure during Italy’s first phase of the Mattei Plan for Africa.
The plan, launched in 2024, aims to promote investment-led cooperation rather than traditional aid.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni addressed dozens of African heads of state and governments in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, and reiterated that a successful partnership would depend on Italy’s “ability to draw from African wisdom” and ensure lessons are learned.
“We want to build things together,” she told African heads of state. “We want to be more consistent with the needs of the countries involved.”
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said Italy had provided Africa with a gateway to Europe through these partnerships.
“This is a moment to move from dialogue to action,” he said.
“By combining Africa’s energetic and creative population with Europe’s experience, technology, and capital, we can build solutions that deliver prosperity to our continents and beyond.”
After the Italy-Africa summit concluded, African leaders remained in Addis Ababa for the annual African Union Summit.
Kenyan writer and political analyst Nanjala Nyabola said tangible results from such summits depend on preparations made by countries.
African governments often focus on “optics instead of actually making summits a meaningful engagement,” she said.
Instead of waiting for a list of demands, countries should “present the conclusions of an extended period of mapping the national needs” and engage in dialogue to determine how those needs can be met.
Since it was launched two years ago, the Mattei Plan has directly involved 14 African nations and has launched or advanced around 100 projects in crucial sectors, including energy and climate transition, agriculture and food security, physical and digital infrastructure, healthcare, water, culture and education, training, and the development of artificial intelligence, according to the Italian government.
