RF FOREIGN MINISTRY: RUSSIA HAS NOTHING AGAINST NABUCCO GAS PIPELINE
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
15.05.2009 14:14 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Moscow affirmed that has nothing against the
construction of Nabucco gas pipeline which would transport the natural
gas from the Caspian basin to Europe bypassing Russia, representative
of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, Ria Novosti reported.
"Moscow is not against especially, if that project is beneficial
and acceptable for those who intend to participate in it," he
added. According to him, "the project should be economically and
financially justified and should be provided with necessary resource
base".
Commenting on the joining of different countries to the Nabucco
project, the diplomat said "this is their sovereign right". The
support to the project of construction of Nabucco, which Azerbaijan
made in Prague, is in line with the energy policy of Baku aimed at
diversification of transportation routes of hydrocarbon resources. He
also mentioned, that important energy projects are worked at between
Russia and Azerbaijan.
"The participation in the various international energy projects is a
sovereign right of the countries. Azerbaijan’s support to the Nabucco
project in Prague based on the Baku’s energy policy directed towards
diversification of the export routes". The diplomat said Russia
and Azerbaijan were working on the important energy projects within
this process.
The USD 7.3 billion pipeline would bring gas supplies from Central
Asia and Azerbaijan to Europe without using Russian resources or its
territory through the rout Turkey-Bulgaria-Romania-Hungary-Austria. The
construction of the gas pipeline is expected to finish by 2013,
and gas deliveries will start in 2014.
Negotiations on Nаbucco have continued several years, the main
topic of talks is guarantees of filling the pipeline with gas. After
Russia-Ukrainian gas conflict those talks have been intensified.
Azerbaijan , Iran, Turkmenistan and recently Iraq are viewed as
potential gas suppliers of for Nabucco. The idea of delivering the
Iraq gas to Europe is facilitated by the US.
Some circles in Russia skeptically treat this project, since the
possibilities of filling the pipeline with gas have been vague so far,
reported Ria Novosti.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
