Sweden shouldn’t stand in the way for European countries wanting to get access to Russian gas via the Nord Stream pipeline, Russia’s Ambassador in Stockholm told The Swedish Wire.

Tension has increased between the two countries as the Russians impatiently are waiting for Sweden to approve the Nord Stream gas-pipe project, which would bring Russia natural gas as far as Germany via the Baltic Sea.

Sweden still has to give the link environmental clearance.

Russia’s Ambassador in Stockholm, Alexander Kadakin, who is leaving his post after four years next Tuesday, said that Sweden, which holds the rotating European Union presidency, has an obligation to support the deal.

“I would like to clarify that it’s not a Russian pipeline. The project was confirmed and characterizes in 2001 as a European project”, he told The Swedish Wire in an interview on Friday. “As Sweden is president of the European Union it should be interested in securing energy and fuel supplies for the other members”.

If Sweden says ‘No’, you still think there will be a pipeline built in the Baltic Sea?
“Well, we are not violating any national bilateral agreements by constructing this gas-pipeline”, he said, although adding that a Swedish refusal of the project would be a great disappointment to Russia and a number of EU member states.

"I hate to think about it, but if Sweden say ‘No’ it won’t only say ‘No’ to Russia but to EU friends”.

Some Swedish politicians claim that it’s not good for Sweden or Europe to be dependent of Russian gas.
“If Sweden doesn’t need Russian gas, it doesn’t mean that other countries in Europe do not need it”, he said, brushing off the question.

Nord Stream AG is a partnership between Russian state-run energy giant Gazprom and Germany's E.On Ruhrgas and BASF-Wintershall. The 1,220-kilometre (760-mile) pipeline needs the green light from Finland, Sweden and Denmark before building can begin as it will run close to their Baltic coastlines.

The planned pipeline moved a step forward last month after a Finnish environment agency approved the project but told its backers to provide more information on potential environmental damage.

Some 80 percent of all Russian gas bound for Europe travels currently through Soviet-era pipelines in Ukraine. Nord Stream would transport up to 55 billion cubic metres of gas each year. This would be enough to supply more than 25 million households, according to the consortium's website.

Alexander Kadakin also pointed out that 55 percents of all oil in Sweden comes from Russia. And 38 percent of the nuclear pellets, the nuclear fuel for Sweden's power stations, also is Russian.

A longer interview will follow on Monday, discussing corruption, trade, the future of Russia and why Swedes and Russians are "doomed to be friends".