(BNS) вЂ" “ Transportation of Azerbaijani oil through Ukraine and the Baltic countries to the North European countries is real,” Ainars Slesers, the Latvian Transport and Communications Minister, told Trend .
“There is such possibility, taking into consideration the oil production growth in Azerbaijan and success in implementation of the project Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline,” he added. The Latvian Minister said that his country was ready to present its ports for oil transportation to the Northern countries and Europe.
In his turn, Krisjanis Karins, the Latvian Economy Minister, noted that the transit pipeline may be laid from production places in the Caspian Sea through Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia to Ukraine, then through Belarus to Latvia, but it requires construction of 100-km pipeline in Belarus. Karins also regards the transportation of the Azerbaijani oil via pipeline system as real. “We received positive sign concerning the implementation of the project at the meeting with the Azerbaijani President and BTC representatives today,” he stressed.
According to Karins, it would be alternative variant in the current situation, when energy dependence on Russia grows. The expenditures related to construction of the missing section of the pipeline are small. However, the idea is in the initial stage and governments and entrepreneurs need to consider it carefully.
Tofig Zulfugarov, the Azerbaijani Ambassador to Latvia, stated that implementation of the project depended on economic expediency. “Nobody will desire to construct pipeline on political motives. It must base on economic expediency,” he added. Zulfugarov stressed that there is no infrastructure for the oil transportation or information on possible price of 1 ton oil.
The Latvian Ministers, accompanied their President Vaira Vike-Freiberg during the official visit to Azerbaijan, visited the Sangachal oil terminal in Baku on Tuesday.