NONE OF SOUTH CAUCASIAN COUNTRIES CAN START WAR WITHOUT CONSIDERATION OF OIL CORPORATIONS' INTERESTS
PanARMENIAN.Net
June 16, 2010 - 16:58 AMT 11:58 GMT
Tbilisi hosted Current State of Energy Security of the South Caucasus
conference with participation of Armenian, Georgian and Azerbaijani
experts and journalists.
Expert of the Azerbaijani Diplomatic Acacemy Elnur Soltanov noted
that one cannot state for sure that Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline
plays a restraining role in resumption of war in Nagorno Karabakh.
"Azerbaijan may incur financial losses in case of war resumption,
however, in case of a short-term, two-week war, its losses will not
be significant. The country's reserve totals $20bln, while budget
amounts to $10bln, we can return the losses during 10 days. Currently
Azerbaijan is stronger than previously. In 1999, British Petroleum
(BP) company could make decisions on projects of investments, while
today the state's investments have increased considerably, what allows
lessening the dependency on companies. I do not think that currently
BP can influence a decision on war resumption," Elnur Soltanov told
a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.
Meanwhile, Deputy Director of Noravank Foundation Sevak Sarukhanyan
believes that the influential international oil corporations, which
have made multibillion investments into the South Caucasian energy,
are both economic and political factors in the region.
According to Sarukhanyan, the huge investments in the region have
become possible only due to political factors and stability guarantees
obtained by companies from the U.S and other western countries. The
expert believes that none of the South Caucasian countries can start
a war without consideration of oil corporations' interests.
Expert of World Experience for Georgia organization Murman
Margelashvili said that energy, having an economic influence, can
resolve disputes between countries. "In case of hostilities, interests
in energy assist in preserving infrastructure. For example, Russia did
not bomb the energy infrastructure during the August war. Meanwhile,
Russia is a co-owner of majority of strategic enterprises both in
Georgia and in Armenia, and in this case it is a political factor
rather than an economic one," Margelashvili told a PanARMENIAN.Net
reporter.
The Current State of Energy Security of the South Caucasus conference
is organized by the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA)
and Norwegian Atlantic Committee (DNAK.)
From: A. Papazian
PanARMENIAN.Net
June 16, 2010 - 16:58 AMT 11:58 GMT
Tbilisi hosted Current State of Energy Security of the South Caucasus
conference with participation of Armenian, Georgian and Azerbaijani
experts and journalists.
Expert of the Azerbaijani Diplomatic Acacemy Elnur Soltanov noted
that one cannot state for sure that Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline
plays a restraining role in resumption of war in Nagorno Karabakh.
"Azerbaijan may incur financial losses in case of war resumption,
however, in case of a short-term, two-week war, its losses will not
be significant. The country's reserve totals $20bln, while budget
amounts to $10bln, we can return the losses during 10 days. Currently
Azerbaijan is stronger than previously. In 1999, British Petroleum
(BP) company could make decisions on projects of investments, while
today the state's investments have increased considerably, what allows
lessening the dependency on companies. I do not think that currently
BP can influence a decision on war resumption," Elnur Soltanov told
a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.
Meanwhile, Deputy Director of Noravank Foundation Sevak Sarukhanyan
believes that the influential international oil corporations, which
have made multibillion investments into the South Caucasian energy,
are both economic and political factors in the region.
According to Sarukhanyan, the huge investments in the region have
become possible only due to political factors and stability guarantees
obtained by companies from the U.S and other western countries. The
expert believes that none of the South Caucasian countries can start
a war without consideration of oil corporations' interests.
Expert of World Experience for Georgia organization Murman
Margelashvili said that energy, having an economic influence, can
resolve disputes between countries. "In case of hostilities, interests
in energy assist in preserving infrastructure. For example, Russia did
not bomb the energy infrastructure during the August war. Meanwhile,
Russia is a co-owner of majority of strategic enterprises both in
Georgia and in Armenia, and in this case it is a political factor
rather than an economic one," Margelashvili told a PanARMENIAN.Net
reporter.
The Current State of Energy Security of the South Caucasus conference
is organized by the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA)
and Norwegian Atlantic Committee (DNAK.)
From: A. Papazian