Pipelines: Making War?

Our respected colleague Mikhail Korchemkin of East European Gas Analysis brought to our attention an intriguing comment contained within the The April issue of Blue Fuel newsletter of Gazprom-Export Global Newsletter.

The article, Southern Corridor Pipeline of Discord and Repositioning of Italy, contains an interesting comment on the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline and the unclear legal status of the Caspian Sea.

In the article on Page 12, Russian Foundation for Energy Security Director Kostantin Simonov, is quoted as saying:

"The construction of this pipeline would mean to spit in the face of Russia and the real risk may be that of a military conflict, in front of which Russia will not pull back."

As Mikhail commented: "It does look like the state-controlled Russian giant threatens war with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan over the pipeline project, doesn't it"?

Our thanks to Mikhail Korchemkin. Mikhail is the founder and executive director of East European Gas Analysis (EEGA) is a Pennsylvania-based consulting firm founded in January 1995 and one of the leading experts in cost-benefit and financial analysis of production and pipeline projects in natural gas sector of Russia and the former Soviet Union (FSU).