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Kazakhstan aims to radically change oil export strategy - expert

Kazakhstan Materials 2 October 2015 17:49 (UTC +04:00)
The government and business circles of Kazakhstan intend to radically change a hydrocarbon export strategy.
Kazakhstan aims to radically change oil export strategy - expert

Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 2

By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:

The government and business circles of Kazakhstan intend to radically change a hydrocarbon export strategy, Murat Abulgazin, Kazakh political analyst, said in an interview with Trend.

Abulgazin said that the recent statement made by Kairgeldy Kabyldin, the head of the Kazakh state oil transportation KazTransOil company, testifies to this.

In his statement, Kabyldin stressed the interest in transportation of Kazakh hydrocarbons and transit of Russian oil and gas to India.

"Earlier, we all focused on Europe, the Baltic and the Black Seas," Kabyldin has recently said at the tenth International Energy Forum "Kazenergy" in Astana. "But at present, the flows are reoriented to the east."

Abulgazin believes that the safety issues in the countries south of Kazakhstan, which are often called as the main obstacle to the implementation of transport and energy projects in the region, despite the acuity, can be solved politically and via the economic interests of the countries, local population and groups.

Moreover, the expert said that gas can be exported to South Asia not only via Afghanistan, but also through China to Pakistan and then to India, or directly to India.

"Moreover, such South Asian communications are considered by China, Russia, Pakistan and Iran," he said.
Emin

Abulgazin said KazTransOil's head made his statement in a timely manner and with good reason in view of the developments in the world economy and politics.

"The whole situation on the world hydrocarbons market demands new and unordinary steps to maintain domestic oil and gas industry, which is a major segment of Kazakhstan's economy," he said.

More importantly, the expert added, steps are needed to create conditions for the oil and gas industry's development perspectives, adding that the opening of a new direction for export of hydrocarbons to India can become such a step.

Abulgazin said such plans may involve primarily the use of Kazakhstan's transit potential by Russian companies, which have more export opportunities and long-standing plans to enter South Asia through the Altai and Central Asia, as well as using the existing infrastructure.

Nevertheless, if additional volumes of hydrocarbons emerge in Kazakhstan over time, the issue related to their sale will be prejudged, according to the expert.

The plans announced by Kabyldin have not only economic and commercial, but also political reasons, since the increasing contradictions between Russia and the West under the leadership of the US proved the commonly known danger of orientation of economy to one consumption or supply market.

Abulgazin noted that for the present, no one is going to refuse from Europe's large market, but the situation with Russia gave grounds to politicians, governments and business circles from the post-Soviet countries to think about this.

"In recent years, European and the US political and government structures showed the essence and unreliability of the policy of democratization and market reforms in other countries which in fact reflects the desire to subjugate the policy, economy and morale of other states and societies," said the expert.

"The world is becoming increasingly convinced that if Washington is not satisfied with the activities of the leaders and governments of various countries, they will be doomed to overthrow, in spite of the partnership relations," the expert said. "We witness forms of neo-colonial policy."

At the same time, the US aggressively seeks to provide the European market with its shale oil and gas, and thereby to oust Russia from the Old World.

Earlier, ONGC Videsh Limited former vice-president (current consultant) Madhu Kumar Nayyar said at a conference in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk that the Russia is offered to join the project of gas supplies to India through the TAPI (Turkmenistan - Afghanistan - Pakistan - India) pipeline.

Nayyar went on to add that in the future, the matter may rest in deliveries of up to 100 billion cubic meters of Russian gas to India. He made it clear that all the transit countries of the project are already ready for the implementation of what was planned and only Russia hasn't made a political decision yet.

Edited by SI

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Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova

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