The Lithuanian government alleged a political motive for the closure, although the Kauno Diena newspaper quoted Sergei Yastrzhembsky, Mr Putin’s chief adviser on EU relations, as saying: “The pipeline is closed due to the demands of environmental protection. Experts have found over 7,000 problems with the pipeline. The pipeline is old, and it can lead to environmental problems.
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“We are still researching whether it’s worth repairing it”, he continued. “But we’re leaning towards the opinion that a new pipeline should be built instead,” he said.
The Lithuanian government has asked the European Commission to intervene on its behalf over the pipeline. Mr Yastrzhembsky raised questions about this: “We do not understand why Lithuania is raising questions regarding the pipeline with the European Union. Mazeikiu Nafta is importing crude oil by tankers. Of course, this way is more expensive, but that is a problem for a private Polish company.”