The German government remains committed to completing the Nord Stream 2 project despite strong objections from Washington. Photo: AP According to Bloomberg, Foreign Minister Maas affirmed that it is too early to conclude that the US will not impose additional sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 project. Maas emphasized, in fact, in US politics, neither Democrats nor Republicans have a positive view of the gas pipeline from Russia to Germany. However, Minister Maas expects that the gas cooperation project between Moscow and Berlin will no longer be a conflict in US-German relations. The US has repeatedly voiced its objections and continuously put pressure on the implementation of the Russian gas project. Most recently, Washington imposed sanctions on 13 Russian ships and 3 companies related to the project, but lifted sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG – the company operating the Stream project. The North 2, and CEO Matthias Warnig. Speaking at a press conference on May 19, Foreign Minister Maas said the US decision was “a constructive step”, and affirmed that Berlin would continue to dialogue with its partners in Washington. The German government remains committed to completing the Nord Stream 2 project despite strong objections from Washington, and asserts that this pipeline will help ensure Europe’s energy security and is completely a economic project. In a related development, Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 4 said that the Nord Stream 2 project is ready to transport natural gas from Russia to Germany.

On April 27, Russia’s Akademic Chersky pipe-laying vessel began installing the unfinished pipeline in Danish territorial waters. According to Foreign Minister Maas, it is impractical to consider the project to bring gas from Russia to Germany as a political lever of Russia. “Based on our previous assessment, the Northern Flow 2 project is purely related to energy policy. Therefore, Germany should not see this project as a move to influence the Russia ”- German Foreign Minister said. German officials have repeatedly asserted that they consider completion of the Northern Flow 2 project construction as essential. Berlin considers this project an economic one. However, the German government maintains that Ukraine should play the role of transshipment of gas from Russia to Europe, after the Northern Flow 2 pipeline becomes operational. Germany is now abandoning coal and nuclear power to convert to renewable sources that do not pose a problem for its industry, which needs more gas. In a related development, the project operator Nord Stream 2 AG announced on April 27 that Russia’s Akademic Chersky pipe-laying vessel began to install the unfinished pipeline in Danish territorial waters. “After conducting sea trials, the Akademic Chersky has begun work on the installation of the pipeline in the Danish exclusive economic zone from today,” said Nord Stream 2 AG on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Fortuna – another Russian pipe-laying vessel also continues to carry out the construction of the project in Danish territorial waters under license. Up to now, the Northern Flow 2 project is 95% complete, only the final 121km of the pipeline have to be installed.

According to Reuters, Mr. Biden decided to withdraw his troops from Afghanistan before 9/11/2021, exactly 20 years after the terrorist attack by Al-Qaeda sparked the prolonged war of the US and its NATO ally in the country. This southwest Asia.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin officially announced the decision to allies in the NATO bloc in Brussels during the meeting on April 14.

“After careful policy review, President Biden decided to withdraw the remaining number of troops in Afghanistan and eventually end the US war after 20 years,” said a State Department official.

US forces in Afghanistan.

Thus, this new decision shows that the previous withdrawal plan (May 1), which was signed by the administration of former President Donald Trump with the Taliban, could not be implemented. In response, a Taliban spokesman warned there would be consequences if the United States did not comply with the said deadline.

The Taliban are said to have been largely in compliance with their promise not to attack troops from the United States and other countries since the deal was signed, but stressed that things will change as the US pulls back from 9/11.

The Afghan peace process has already fallen to a standstill as peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban forces in the Qatar capital, Doha, stalled.

The US advocates to promote peace negotiations between the governments of Afghanistan and the Taliban before the last 2,500 troops of the country’s army must leave Afghanistan.

Washington wants the Afghan and Taliban governments to strike some power-sharing arrangements. Recently, the Taliban rejected the proposal of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to hold elections this year.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the process had pushed the nation on the brink of crisis. Any decisions regarding Afghanistan’s future need to be reached in bilateral negotiations.

Assessing the decision to withdraw all US forces from Afghanistan on September 11, experts said that this decision will put NATO in a difficult position.

When the US administration under President Trump decided to withdraw troops from Afghanistan by May 1 deadline, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned that Afghanistan was in danger of becoming a defeated IS base. Syria and Iraq.

Although admitting that NATO has been fighting in Afghanistan for too long, Stoltenberg said that it is not time to leave, while the withdrawal needs the coordination of the parties. American forces make up a small number of NATO troops in Afghanistan, but the alliance is heavily dependent on the United States for air transport, logistics and support.

The US withdrawal also raises questions about the possibility of the remaining countries pulling out. NATO began operating there in 2003, two years after the US-led coalition came to deal with the Taliban following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

But it is hard to say that NATO has fulfilled its original goal of “ensuring that it will never be a safe haven for international terrorists”. In the future, the continued stay of NATO will also face many difficulties, while withdrawal is undesirable by many parties, when the goal is not reached and the risk of terrorism will become even more haunted.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has rejected the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan before ending talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. Maas also criticized the early US unilateral withdrawal of troops from the South Asian country that could jeopardize peace negotiations.

Considering that peace negotiations are very complicated and cannot be ended as scheduled, Minister Heiko Maas stated: “If the US withdraws its forces while other NATO allies cannot take over security in in the short term, the situation will become extremely volatile. “

Japan and Germany hold their first Diplomatic and Defense Strategic Dialogue (Dialogue 2+2) online, April 13. (Source: AP)

According to the sheet Nikkei (Japan), on April 13, Japan held its first Diplomatic and Defense Strategic Dialogue (Dialogue 2+2) with Germany online, a framework similar to that of other important European partners, Britain and France.

Clearly, Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide’s administration is increasingly urging key European partners to increase their intervention in the Indo-Pacific region, especially amid certain rifts in China’s relations with Europe recently regarding human rights democracy.

Attending the dialogue on the Japanese side were Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, while on the German side were Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.

At the dialogue, Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi criticized China for saying that “unilateral actions to change the status quo by force have lost the premises of peace and prosperity for the international community.”

Meanwhile, Secretary Maas stated that “security cooperation is extremely important in the context of various threats in the Indo-Pacific region.”

The German side said it would send a destroyer to the Indo-Pacific region next summer and planned joint training between Japan’s Maritime Defense Force and the German Navy.

It is unusual for a country without territory in the Asia-Pacific to send warships to the region, but it is also the first time germany has shown strong colours on security issues.

This Japan-Germany 2+2 Strategic Dialogue is an example that Germany is ready to participate in the race for sovereignty in the Indo-Pacific region.

Basically the strategy of the Biden administration and its allies is to bring together a siege that restrains China, including European countries. It’s also a sign that the U.S. feels the difficulty of unilateral confrontation and arms race with China.

Other European countries are already aware of the threat from China.

Britain identified China as the biggest national threat to economic security, identified in a new security and diplomatic strategy announced in March.

Britain has left the European Union (EU) and does not want China to lead Asia, which is seen as its promising market. London has also expressed its intention to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), an agreement that plays a role in creating a siege on China.

In the current context, the similarities between the UK and Japan are to promote the free trade system in the Indo-Pacific region, while curbing China’s expansion at sea.

Among European countries, Britain has pledged to send the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and France will send a nuclear-powered attack submarine to the Indo-Pacific region.

According to Professor Yuichi Morii of the University of Tokyo, recent moves by Britain, France and Germany have sent a message of cooperation to Japan as countries that share a common view of values.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel once said China was a “systemal competitor” with political differences. However, China is also a huge market with a size of 1.4 billion people and is an important trading partner of Germany.

On April 7, during a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Ms Merkel also stressed the importance of dialogue.

As European relations with China tend to cool and the region faces serious economic impact from the Covid-19 epidemic, the U.S. and Japan should work to promote diplomatic activities with European countries, in order to support maintaining a tough stance on security.