Even when he was berated by countries prone to Russia-bashing, he remained impeccably, politely dull, insisting that the planned Nord Stream gas pipeline to Germany on the Baltic seabed threatens nobody.

ECONOMIST: Baltic co-operation

"If we find a mine, we inform the national authority, and we would re-route the pipeline, " he explains, adding that the real challenge is the length of the pipeline, the shallow nature of the Baltic Sea and the irregular seabed.

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