21-02-05 The United States has included the Caspian in its area of interest, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s special envoy, head of the working group on the Caspian Sea, Aleksandr Golovin, told a roundtable on establishing a collective security system in the Caspian held in Moscow.
Expressing Russia’s stance on the Caspian legal status, Golovin stated that only Caspian states have exclusive rights to the sea and its resources.
"Issues on delimitation of the seabed emerged during the talks of the working group on determination of the Caspian legal status.”
“The oil and gas fields discovered in the Caspian Sea represent great natural resources and Russia can’t remain indifferent to them," said Golovin.
A representative of the Russian Federal Security Service Vyacheslav Skvortsov said that naval bases of non-Caspian states should not be stationed on the sea. The United States, which is assisting Azerbaijan and Georgia in building the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline, hopes for certain security, he said.
The roundtable was attended by representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry, parliament members and political analysts.
http://www.gasandoil.com/goc/frame_ntc_news.htmRecent article:
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline: Bets Are Placed
The US government has 'welcomed' Tbilisi's decision to approve construction of the Georgian section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and has promised that the project 'will bring long-awaited investment into Georgia as well as increase the self-sufficiency and independence of countries in the Caspian Basin.'
Tbilisi is claiming that this 'project of the century' will guarantee the stability and security of Georgia. Political scientists in Azerbaijan, commenting on what would seem to be an economic matter, are saying that the project is, in fact, in Russia's strategic interests.
Moscow has not yet made any comment on the latest news surrounding the oil pipeline. In September, however, news agencies quoted the Russian Foreign Minister, speaking in New York on September 18: 'We are willing to cooperate but we won't accept any attempts to force Russia out of regions where it has long-term interests.' At the same time Igor Ivanov once more described construction of the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey as 'unprofitable'.
It is not yet clear what was meant by Russia refusing to 'accept' being forced out of the Southern Caucasus. Perhaps Mr Ivanov himself knows. However, the fact remains that Russia is not participating in the project.
Mr Ivanov's comments in September were made in reference to the ceremony held to mark the start of the pipeline's construction, attended by the presidents of Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan. At that time Eduard Shevardnadze was telling everyone that the start of the project had become a real cause of tension between Russia and Georgia. Geidar Aliev acted somewhat differently - immediately after the ceremony he came to Moscow on an official visit and signed a document on the demarcation of Russian-Azerbaijani oil interests in the Caspian Basin.
Azerbaijani commentators insist that Mr Aliev's conduct is proof that Baku-Moscow cooperation is steadily growing, in contrast to the conflict between Russia and Georgia. These same sources also commented on the 'resourcefulness' of LUKoil managers who, having refused to offer any large-scale investment, will still be able to use the pipeline on 'an almost equal basis with investors.' Azerbaijani analysts admitted that the owners of the pipeline 'will be forced to offer a lot of discounts.' If this is the case and there is a lack of investment, then perhaps Mr Ivanov was not joking when he said the project would turn out to be unprofitable.
The US and Great Britain openly lobbied the project from the very beginning. At the last moment, when Mr Shevardnadze suddenly decided to start listening to Georgian environmentalists, they fell on him angrily. For a week British Petroleum representatives and the Georgian International Oil Company held serious 'discussions' with the Georgian government. Finally Tbilisi gave its authorization for the pipeline to be built through the famous Borzhomi Gorge.
The last to give in was Georgian Minister for the Environment Nino Chkhobadze, who until late at night on December 1 refused to approve a government decree giving the necessary authorization to the pipeline owners to begin construction. However, after talking with President Shevardnadze she agreed to sign the document.
..cont'd
http://www.rosbaltnews.com/2003/02/22/60703.html