The BakuTbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) main export pipeline is a strategic and important project for the stability and development of the region, Turkish Prime Minister Rejep Tayyub Erdogan, stated to a solemn opening ceremony of the BTC with the capacity of 50 million tons a year at the Turkish port of Ceyhan on 13 July, Trend reports.
According to Erdogan, the oil pipeline assumes paramount importance both for the entire region and world, taking into consideration its possible use in condition of uninterrupted and safe exploitation, contacts between the producers and consumers РїРѕС'ребиС'РµР"СЏРјРё. Erdogan said that the corridor of friendship between the countries and nations of the region.
PM said that in the end of 2006 the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline will be put into exploitation and it will enable to delivery the Azerbaijani gas from Shah Deniz field to the world markets. He supposes that the pipeline will offer favorable terms for transportation of Kazakh and Turkmen gas. Erdogan announced on the plans of transportation of Iraqi oil via Kirkuk and Ceyhan, the implementation of the project on the construction of the Turkey-Greece-Italy gas pipeline. He also underlined that the project on the construction of Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railway line, which will enable to connect Turkey to the South Caucasus region, as well as the Central Asia.
The Turkish PM said that the implementation of the BTC will decrease the burden of the Turkish straits Bosporus and Dardanelle.