Moscow Times, Russia
Feb 26 2005

Georgian Pipeline Sale

TBILISI, Georgia (Reuters) — Georgia plans to make hundreds of
millions of dollars on the sale of pipelines that supply Russian gas
to supply Georgia and Armenia, Georgian Economy Minister Kakha
Bendukidze said Thursday.

“We want to sell the coastal pipelines to Gazprom or to a Western
investor,” Bendukidze said, adding that the sale would include a
clause to guarantee supplies to Georgia.

“The price for the pipeline will not be tens of millions but hundreds
of millions of dollars.”

He also said the buyer could extend the network, enabling Gazprom to
pipe gas from Russia to Turkey.