Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Monday strongly criticized the planned natural gas pipeline linking Russia and Germany, saying it threatened European security, local media said.
Morawiecki's comments came as he addressed the spring session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in capital Warsaw.
The prime minister called the Nord Stream 2 a 'new hybrid weapon' aimed at the European Union, EU countries and NATO.
'The Nord Stream 2 pipeline poses a threat to Europe's energy security and solidarity,' Morawiecki said, adding this 'poisoned pill of European security' could have far-reaching geopolitical consequences.
The planned project would help Russia increase its influence in Western Europe since it would allow the country to nearly double its direct gas supply to Germany bypassing countries such as Poland and Ukraine.
The head of the government said the Nord Stream 1, the predecessor to the Nord Stream 2, allowed 'Russia to modernize its army, which in turn enabled the annexation of Crimea'.
'Therefore, one should consider what the second branch of the gas pipeline can lead to in the future,' he said.
The $11 billion project plans to carry 55 billion cubic meters of gas annually 1,230 kilometers under the Baltic Sea from Russia to northern Germany after it becomes operational in early 2020.
Denmark and Ukraine also oppose the project, arguing that it would increase the EU's dependency on Russian gas while maintaining that Europe should instead focus on diversifying its energy resources.
By Hale Turkes
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr