Landscape with a Pipeline // Caspian oil goes to the West detouring Russia

Kommersant, Russia
July 14 2006

The opening ceremony of the Baku-Tbilisi-Jeikhan pipeline took place
yesterday in Turkish city of Jeikhan. It is the first pipeline on
post-Soviet territory which detours Russia. Kommersant correspondent
Vladimir Solovyev who attended the ceremony said the main heroes
of yesterday’s event were 3 men absent at the ceremony. First,
late Azerbaijani President Geidar Aliev. Second, US President George
Bush who decided not to irritate Vladimir Putin by visiting Jeikhan.
Third, Nursultan Nazarbaev who is now expected to fill the pipeline
with Kazakh oil.

Filling up the pipeline

The organizers optimistically called yesterday’s ceremony
"First Oil". Before letting the oil in, Turkish authorities
prepared thoroughly, spending $4 million on the ceremony only. The
Baku-Tbilisi-Jeikhan (BTJ) pipeline opening ceremony was held on a
small cape on the Black Sea coast, about 1 kilometer away from the
sea oil terminal with which the pipeline ends.

The itinerary for processions-the highway connecting Jeikhan and
Adana, where all guests lived,-was decorated with flags of Azerbaijan,
Georgia, and Turkey. Pieces of pipe with BTJ logo and a direction
arrow put along the highway served as guide signs. Security measures
were extensive, using sharpshooters and helicopters, because it was
expected that US President George Bush, or at least Condoleezza Rice,
would visit the ceremony.

US energy secretaries visited all previous BTJ events, Spencer Abraham
in 2002, and his successor Samuel Bodman in 2005. Now, when BTJ does
not need patronage from the White House anymore, Washington sent only
Deputy Secretary of Energy Clay Sell.

Turkish newspapers were shocked, because not only George Bush ignored
the invitation to the ceremony, but also Kazakh President Nursultan
Nazarbaev, who went to St. Petersburg for the G-8. He sent Minister
of Energy Bahytkoju Izmuhambetov instead. No one was sorry about the
absence of Russian representatives, although Putin had been officially
invited as well.

Presidents of Azerbaijan and Georgia Ilham Aliev and Mikhail
Saakashvili only smiled and shrugged shoulders in response to
journalists’ questions, when they entered the VIP marquee.

Top managers of BP pipeline operating company spoke first. BP CEO
Lord Browne called BTJ a major project of the 21st century which
changed the energy map of the world. "This pipeline will make Turkey
the major player of world oil market," echoed BP president in Caspian
region David Woodword. Then Clay Sell delivered George Bush’s address
which called Jeikhan the gates to world oil market and reminded that
Washington more or less supported the project all these years.

These speeches produced a positive effect on the 3 presidents.

Turkish Prime Minister promised to turn Jeikhan into energy supermarket
refining absolutely all types of oil, and shared plans on building
another pipeline between Samsun and Jeikhan for pumping Russian
and Kazakh oil. Then Ilham Aliev took the floor. He recalled "the
destructive forces" who hindered the project. Mikhail Saakashvili, who
spoke next, did not even try to conceal that he spoke of Russia. He
emphasized that the BTJ pipeline is the symbol of independence for
Georgia and Azerbaijan. "BTJ united us all. It gave us new hopes, hopes
for stability and security, gave us new partners and new relations,"
said Saakashvili.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev looked the happiest winner at
yesterday’s oil festivity. Although it was, in fact, the achievement
of his late father Geidar Aliev. Almost all speakers acknowledged
Geidar Aliev’s merit for making the pipeline connect Baku and the
Mediterranean sea, after all. As a sign of gratitude, Turkey named
the oil terminal in Jeikhan after Geidar Aliev. Turkey also named a
park and an avenue in Istanbul after Aliev.

Pipeline’s significance

BTJ became the first and largest non-Russian geopolitical project
on post-Soviet territory. The West spent $4 billion on building the
pipeline which is absolutely independent from Russia. This pipeline
gives space for maneuver both for the West and for the countries in
the region, and guarantees uninterrupted oil supplies to Europe.

Caspian reserves of oil cannot entirely substitute the resources
of the Persian Gulf, but they are a good alternative. Governmental
agreement between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan on transporting Kazakh
oil across the Caspian sea was signed a month ago in Astana.

Turkey will benefit from the new pipeline as well. Turkey stopped
receiving Iraq’s oil ever since the war in Iraq began. Now, Caspian
oil will compensate Turkey’s losses over and above.

Israel is also interested in the BTJ pipeline. Israeli Minister of
Energy and Infrastructure Binyamin Ben-Eliezer attended the opening
ceremony. Israel plans to be buying oil in Jeikhan and then transport
it to Ashkelon, and from there to the markets of East Asia, India,
and China through the KATSA pipeline.

Meanwhile, the pipeline has already begun influencing the region. The
U.S. is now creating special forces called Caspian Guard, to guarantee
absolute security for the pipeline. Washington’s reverent concern
about the pipe means the U.S. will not put up with main threats to
it existing in the region-the frozen conflicts. Now, the West will
not risk anymore and will actively seek ways to solve Karabakh,
Abkhazian, and South Ossetian conflicts. The U.S. now pushes Erevan
and Baku to sign the declaration on Nagorno-Karabakh problem. Similar
steps would probably be taken in regard to Georgia.

The BTJ pipeline might stabilize the region. Yet, it does not
guarantee the conflicts will be solved according to Tbilisi’s and
Baku’s wishes. On the other hand, BTJ greatly changes the status of
the countries in the region, and cements the new pro-West alliance.

Stretching the pipeline up to the Mediterranean sea, Washington has in
fact created a new block, which has been already joined by Azerbaijan,
Georgia, Turkey, and Israel.

Vladimir Solovyev, Jeikhan

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress