AZERBAIJAN HOPES BTC PIPELINE WILL RAISE ITS PROFILE AND SWING
INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT BEHIND BAKU

YEREVAN, MAY 25. ARMINFO. Official Baku hopes the pipeline
Baku-Tbilisi- Ceyhan will raise its profile and swing international
support behind Baku in its dispute with Armenia over the
Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, which ethnic Armenian separatists took
control of more than a decade ago.

According to Times Argus, the conflict continues to simmer,
undermining the region’s security. The pipeline “will bring a certain
element of stability in terms of cooperation,” with big states
pressuring both “Armenia and Azerbaijan to resolve the Karabakh
conflict as quickly as possible,” said analyst Rasim Musabekov.

In its turn, the information of the US Department of State says that
US Energy Minister Samuel Bodman will also attend the ceremonial
activation of BTC pipeline today. BTC was and remains one of the
serious political goals of Bush’s Administration and is one of the
recommendations of the group on development of national energy policy
earlier created by the present administration, the source reports.