Azerbaijan Concerned over BTC as Tensions Increase in Adjara

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Vilayat Guliyev did not rule out that the recent developments in Georgia’s Autonomous Republic of Adjara “may negatively influence” construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline (BTC).
 
“We [Azerbaijani authorities] do not rule out, that the developments in Georgia will create obstacles for implementation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan project,” Russian news agency RIA Novosti quoted the Azeri Foreign Minister.   

He also admitted that acceleration of tension between the central and regional authorities of Georgia will trigger destabilization in entire South Caucasus region.

The U.S.-backed and BP-led strategic BTC pipeline is due to transport Azeri oil to Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan via Georgia.

The route of the pipeline stretches around couple of hounded kilometers away from the Adjarian capital Batumi.

Sources in BP Tbilisi office told Civil Georgia that closure of borders with Adjara made it impossible to transport already shipped pipes from Batumi port to the place of construction.

However, as the source said, this will not cause a major delay of construction of the Georgian section of the BTC.