|
The Western Route (2): via Georgia to Turkey
In late September of this year, Azerbaijan and Georgia agreed on terms
for passage rights across Georgia of a gas pipeline from Azerbaijan to
Turkey to start exports in 2004. In total, the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline
will cost about $1 billion, but would open the way to Azerbaijani gas
reaching either Turkish domestic markets or onward to Europe. This would
fit with EU planning to create a gas grid stretching from the Caspian
to the Atlantic. Georgia is still politically unstable, but more importantly,
this route is not especially suitable for the states to the east of the
Caspian Sea – Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.
Anything
involving the Caspian Sea itself is regarded as extremely sensitive by
oil companies because in the mess left by the break-up of the
Soviet Union, there is no accepted legal framework for governing the Caspian
Sea itself. The US has been pressing hard for the
project to come on line quickly, both because it would begin the flow
of serious investment funds, and because it would strengthen its current
favourite for regional strongman, Turkey, against its former favourite,
Iran.
|
