Estonia declined the Nord Stream’s request, the North-European gas pipe line operator, for exploring its sea bed, what means Estonia declines building the pipe line in its economic waters.
      
      Estonia validated its refuse with country’s sovereignty and state interests. The Estonian Foreign Office is afraid that the Russian company can get the proper information about Estonian natural assets in the area and their possible use. Estonia would like to store them for future generations. (It’s a little chance the territory has not been explored in details at the USSR times. And even if re-explored now nobody can use them except the Estonians themselves.)
      
      Nord Stream intended to study the sea bed in case of correcting the rout. According to the present plan the gas pipe line is laid within Russian waters, Finnish, Swedish, Danish and German Economic areas.
      
      The pipe line Nord Stream is in itself the bypass of the usual transit countries for Russian gas to Europe. Nord Stream is owned by Gasprom-51%(Russia), E.ON and BASF-24,5% each (Germany). The pipe line building was started in December 2005. The first gas is to be transmitted in 2010.
      
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