Moscow is quite likely to use the Karabakh trump card against British Petroleum to frustrate the Azerbaijan-Turkey natural gas pipeline deal, an Azerbaijani expert said.
Speaking about Russia's plans on BP in an interview with the Azerbaijani news website SalamNews, political analyst Zardush Alizade said Moscow has no real lever to hamper the company's project.
"But they have such a serious lever as Karabakh. They may push the button at any moment to create instability, suspending the project," he said, adding that Russia would not be disappointed in case Turkmenistan refuses to join the project.
"Russia's main goal is to prevent Europe from accessing the Central Asian gas reserves. As for Azerbaijan, it is already connected with Europe thanks to its oil and natural gas. At the same time Azerbaijan wishes to increase its oil export to Europe via the Turkish territory," he said.
It comes after recent reports that BP is planning to build a 1,300 km pipeline to make its natural gas accessible to Europe. The pipeline is expected to connect the Shah Deniz natural gas mine with Turkey and the West.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
