Pipeliners

15.06.2005 10:56 [Neftegaz.ru] - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia is ready to build Eastern pipeline by its own capital, and does not need to take a loan from Japan. Such a statement was made by the minister at the St. Petersburg international economic forum on Tuesday. "We have the money. We have an enormous budget surplus to build an oil pipeline network from Eastern Siberia to the Pacific," Lavrov said. However, he pointed out, that "if loans would be given on terms that they would find acceptable, they would see". Referring to Japan's concern of that after the construction of the first stage of the pipeline oil will be pumped to China, Lavrov assured that simultaneously with building of the first stage of the pipeline to Skovorodino, an oil terminal will be built in Perevoznaya Bay for oil deliveries to Asian and Pacific Rim countries.