Austria gave its final approval to a controversial Russian gas pipeline project on Tuesday, defying EU officials as Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the neutral country that has been a long-standing energy customer for Moscow.
The chief executives of Russia’s Gazprom and Austria’s OMV sealed the deal to build a branch of the South Stream gas pipeline to Austria, a staunch defender of the project in the face of opposition from the European Commission.
South Stream, which will cost an estimated $40 billion, is designed to carry Russian gas to the center of Europe, a continent already dependent on Russia …read more
Source: Voice of America
