Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend K. Arynova / If necessary, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan can construct a pipeline linking Baku and the Black Sea for transportation of Kazakhstan's oil, the President of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), Rovnag Abdullayev, visiting Kazakhstan within the framework of Azerbaijani President's official visit to Kazakhstan reported on 8 August.
"If oil volumes in Kazakhstan increase, we will be able to jointly construct a pipeline from Baku to the Black Sea," he said.
The sides are also considering the opportunity of joint exploitation of the terminals in Kulevi and Batumi cities located in Georgia's Black Sea coast. One of the terminals is owned by a Kazakhstan company, another by SOCAR.
According to the head of Kazakhstan KazMunayGaz company, Uzakbay Karabalin, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan can also implement a joint project on construction of a terminal in the Turkish port of Ceyhan. "As you know, we have intentions to construct an oil refining plant in Turkey. The issue has been under discussion by both Kazakhstan-Turkish and Azerbaijani-Turkish high-ranking officials for a long time. We will continue to discuss and assess the project, and if we see its expedience joint cooperation will be possible," he noted.
According to Abdullayev, SOCAR has begun construction of an oil refining plant in Ceyhan. "We were issued a license for construction and have begun the designing. So, if there is a will of KazMunayGaz will implement the project jointly," he said.