Pipeliners

06-01-2007 RBC News - Construction of the Caspian Gas Pipeline will begin in the second half of 2008, Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov said after talks with Kazakh counterpart Karim Masimov. Fradkov said an intergovernmental agreement between Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan on the gas pipeline construction should be prepared by 1 September. The three countries also planned to agree on the reconstruction of the existing gas transportation system with the participation of Uzbekistan. The project is scheduled to start in the first half of 2008. Now that Russia, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan agreed to build the Caspian Gas Pipeline, the construction of an alternative trans-Caspian pipeline bypassing Russia becomes impossible, many experts believe. Moscow hopes that other countries will join the project, too. Fradkov also expressed satisfaction at the Russian-Kazakh cooperation in the gas sphere and the signing of a number of important documents, including on investment projects of Russian gas giant Gazprom and Kazakhstan’s national gas company KazMunaiGaz, cooperation at the Orenburg gas processing plant and gas supplies from the Karachaganak field. Mikhail Fradkov pointed to the need for Russia and Kazakhstan to set priorities in their trade, economic and investment cooperation. He said business and political relations of the two countries were becoming more regular, offering a guarantee of their steady development in future. The Russian premier described cooperation in the spheres of hi-tech, fuel and energy and trade as a priority.