The pipeline that was laid and completed through the Baltic Sea was supposed to bring Russian gas to Germany.
(Photo: dpa)
Geneva The operator of the Russian pipeline Nord Stream 2, based in the tax-efficient Swiss canton of Zug, has laid off all employees, according to Economics Minister Guy Parmelin. 140 people are affected, Parmelin said on Monday evening on French-speaking Switzerland television. The company asked for a meeting with representatives of the cantonal authorities this Tuesday, the broadcaster reported. The company initially did not respond to a request on Tuesday.
The United States imposed sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG last week, prohibiting further business with the company.
Nord Stream 2 is a subsidiary of the Russian gas company Gazprom and is headquartered in Zug, a good 30 kilometers south of Zurich. The pipeline that was laid and completed through the Baltic Sea was supposed to bring Russian gas to Germany. The federal government put the approval process for Nord Stream 2 on hold last week in view of the Russian escalation in Ukraine.
