EU imposes trans-Caspian pipeline project on Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, says Russian foreign minister

European Union imposes the trans-Caspian pipeline project on Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said today in his speech at the Donsk State Technical University.

“Our partners from EU impose the trans-Caspian gas pipeline project on Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, ignoring the fact that the Caspian basin states, but not Brussels should solve these issues,” Lavrov said.

According to the Russian Minister of Natural Resources, the explored resources total 2.95 billion tons of oil and over 3.1 trillion cub.m. of natural and oil gas.

Five Caspian basin states – Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan – are able to solve the Caspian Sea fate by themselves without interference of the third countries. The talks are going on and the sides are ready to reach practical agreements.

The attempts to define the Caspian Sea legal status have been taken since collapse of the USSR. Till 1991 the Caspian Sea – the biggest lake on the globe  - was divided between the Soviet Union and Iran.

European Union and US promote construction of the trans-Caspian pipeline from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan without consideration of opinions, interests and concerns of other members of the so-called Caspian five, reported http://www.biztass.ru.--0--