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Russian FM: EU Councilâ€™s decision on trans-Caspian gas pipeline cause surprise

13 September 2011 15:52 (UTC +04:00)

Russian FM thinks that this decision might hamper the situation in the region: â€œWe know that it is also the first experiment for the EU. But the surprising thing is that, non of the EU countries have access to the Caspian Seaâ€.

The document notes that "attempts to interfere in the affairs of the Caspian from the outside, especially adversely affect the ongoing five-party talks on a new legal status of the Caspian Seaâ€: â€œThe decision on such a large-scale projects should be taken with the participation of all littoral states. We hope that the EU Council will give attention to the positions of Russia and other Caspian littoral states and refrain from activities that are coordinated in an appropriate formatâ€.

Note that, the EU Council gave mandate to the European Commission for conducting talks with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan on legal base of trans-Caspian pipeline. The projectâ€™s cost is estimated at 7.9 billion euros. The project considers transportation of Azerbaijani and Turkmenistanâ€™s gas to European countries.