Can Medvedev Change His Mind?

The following article was published at Azerbaijan Business Centre

Azerbaijan President convinces Russian President not to torpedo Nabucco

Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev after negotiations with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev has changed approaches to project of construction of  Nabucco gas pipeline.

“The Russian position always consisted that we cannot and should not impede any projects. It is an inadmissible thing. We should show privileges of joint cooperation,” D. Medvedev declared at a news conference in Baku.

Russia has alternative to Nabucco project of South Stream gas pipeline.

“Let those projects will win which are interesting for our partners. We impose nothing  to nobody, but it should be economically reasonable projects. We proceed exactly from this, establishing  our economic relations. All of us should regard attentively our economic interests and remember that there are interests of the parties which always have pragmatic character. The power is where we earn money. It is normal. But it is natural, it is necessary to measure our possibilities and our desires,” D. Medvedev said.

For his part, Azerbaijan President I. Aliyev declared that gas in his country will be enough for many decades forward: explored gas reserves in Azerbaijan make about 2 trillion cu m  cubic meter, and potential - about 5 trillion.

“We do not  consider our activity in gas sphere as possibility for groundless competition. We proceed not from political considerations, and from existing economic practice,” I. Aliyev said.

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